Only Heroes Make It Home
by Sealgirl
Summary: [Complete] While searching for a portal, the kids meet a group of adventurers also looking for home. As things go from bad to worse, can Sheila overcome her doubts and rescue the others, before Venger finds her?
1. Chapter 1

DISCLAIMER: Characters from the cartoon series belong to someone else, so I have to be nice, and put them back in the box safely. Characters that are new are all mine!

CREDITS: Ideas/quotes/things I have borrowed will be acknowledged at the end.

STORY: Set after the events in the story 'The Temple of Love.'

While not strictly a sequel, it does refer back to the TOL, and if you just accept that Hank and Sheila are uncomfortable around each other at the beginning, it should make sense. (If it doesn't, then tell me!)

And somewhere along the line, this story has grown to twice the usual size. So it has now been split into 2 parts. It's probably best to think of this as a kind of "double episode".

RATING: PG13.

THANKS: As always goes to the lovely people who are pleasant enough to review my stories. Writing is so much easier when you know people are enjoying it!

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Only Heroes Make It Home.

-Part I: The Trap-

Chapter 1

The suns had just begun to set. The last of their rays laced the tops of the clouds with a rich carnation red that contrasted with the deep purple of the sky behind them. Here and there the first stars of evening had started to appear. High above the mountainside the three moons of the Realm shone brightly, casting dark shadows across the forests below. It was a beautiful evening. It was just the sort of evening to relax, and enjoy the Realm…

Eric the Cavalier gasped for breath once more, and held on to the rock-face tightly. Perspiration was running into his eyes, and he was very hot: not good in the cold, thin air of the mountain. His lungs felt like they were going to explode. He hated climbing, he hated rocks and he hated this crazy place!

The Cavalier looked up. The others were already at the top of the ledge, only a short distance away, having a lovely rest and sipping water from a water bottle. He gave a disgruntled snort. They didn't have to lug pounds of steel and chainmail around, or have a stupid Shield strapped across their backs that made it awkward to climb. It wasn't fair!

They saw him look, and all smiled and waved.

'Yeah…yeah… yeah!' he muttered between gasps.

'C'mon Eric!' called Hank the Ranger. 'We can see the Grove. We're almost there!'

'Stupid …place… for… a flower…anyway!' muttered the Cavalier. He pulled himself over another outcrop, his yellow breastplate scraping across it, making a horrible screeching noise. And how was he gonna get that fixed?

'C'mon, Eric, hurry up!' called Bobby the Barbarian, leaning casually on his Club as he looked down. 'We've got an Orchid to find.'

'Bet… you don't… know …what …an Orchid… looks… like,' puffed Eric. He grabbed the rock above his head, and pulled himself higher once more. Now he was less than ten feet away from the top.

'You're almost there, Cavalier!' said Sheila the Thief helpfully. 'We've left you some water!'

Ah, lovely, cool water! Eric licked his lips, and pulled himself up once more. He was directly underneath them, with just one more outcrop to go.

A hand extended down in front of him: The Ranger's. Eric looked up to Hank gratefully, gripped his friend's wrist and pulled. The Cavalier wriggled up onto the ledge, his breastplate taking another battering. He didn't bother to get up, but slowly rolled over onto his back and lay panting heavily. His Shield dug into him, but he was too breathless to care.

Bobby the Barbarian prodded him with the Club. The unicorn at his side nodded in agreement.

'C'mon! We can't be late!'

'Don't …care,' puffed Eric. 'Need…rest.'

'Aw, the poor Cavalier,' said Diana the Acrobat with a playful smile. 'It wasn't that bad, was it?

'You're…lucky,' said Eric. 'No…armour.' There was nothing heavy or cumbersome about the Acrobat's skimpy outfit, plus she had used her Javelin to help her climb. The Cavalier scowled. It wasn't fair.

He lay still for a few more seconds, his breathing slowing to a sensible rate, even though the burning in his throat hadn't stopped. Then he rolled over onto his side, propping himself up on an elbow, and looked at Hank.

'Tell me again why I agreed… to climb this stupid… mountain?' he asked.

'We find the Rainbow Orchid in the Grove of Moonlight, we take it to Recadia, we go home,' replied the Ranger.

Eric nodded.

'Oh yeah. That was it.'

He flopped back down with a puff.

'We're on a time limit here, remember,' continued Hank. 'The moonlight will hit the Grove soon. Maybe we've only a few minutes.' The Ranger frowned. 'We could go on ahead,' he suggested with a hopeful tone that Eric was quick to note.

'I'll wait with him,' said Sheila, looking down to the ground.

Hank nodded and stood up.

'When he's recovered more, follow us.'

The Acrobat, Barbarian and Magician all stood too, and followed Hank through the forest. The Cavalier stayed still. The burn in his throat and lungs had gone, but he still didn't want to move. What he wouldn't give for a lovely long rest!

Sheila sat on a rock a short distance off, her lilac Cloak pulled tightly around her. It didn't surprise him that the Thief had stayed. Yes, she was always the one who volunteered for this sort of thing, but she had spent the previous few days avoiding the company of Hank at all opportunities.

The Cavalier looked carefully at her as she watched the others leave. He should say something, but he was bad at this sort of thing; he'd not had a lot of practice. But both Hank and Sheila had been so unbearably miserable that he had to do something. He could just about stand them being 'in love', but he drew the line at miserable and in love. Yuck!

'When you gonna start talking to Hank again?' he asked bluntly.

The Thief turned back not looking surprised. But she didn't smile.

'I don't think that's any of your business, Eric.'

'Aw, c'mon Sheila! We're not stupid! One minute you and Hank are all eyes and looks and everything. Then bam, nothing but sulking!'

She frowned at him.

'You talk a lot for someone who's supposed to be out of breath,' she said calmly.

'Look,' he said, 'I'm sure Hank cares, so…'

Sheila silenced him with a look, one she rarely used. It was the Big-Sister-Look that she reserved for the times when Bobby was being particularly wilful. But Eric didn't give up.

'C'mon Sheila!' he said plaintively. 'Can't you two kiss and make up? For everyone's sake?'

'I don't wanna talk about it,' she said firmly. 'It's private.'

'But…'

'And even if I did,' she snapped, 'what makes you think I would talk to you?'

Eric stopped, mouth open. They were friends weren't they?

'What do you mean?' he asked in an offended tone. 'I'm just as good as Diana!'

'I wouldn't confide in you if you were the last person on Earth,' she said matter-of-factly.

'Why not!' he demanded, eyes wide with sincerity.

There was silence, but for the first time in a number of days, Sheila smiled.

'You're just not the sort of person to confide in,' she told him.

The Cavalier knew he looked crestfallen, because Sheila smiled again, this time the friendly, consoling smile that she often used after they had missed a portal.

'Oh, Eric! Don't be like that!'

'No, no, it's OK, I know when I'm not appreciated,' he said, his finely honed instinct for melodrama taking over. 'I'm just a dumb Cavalier that everyone considers too immature to confide in, or talk to, or…'

'Eric!' repeated Sheila, with a small giggle. 'Please!'

Now this was getting annoying.

'What's funny?' he snapped. 'And what's wrong with me?'

This got an even larger giggle from Sheila and she tried to hide it behind her hand.

'You know what I mean!' he said.

'Eric, you're not the sort of person who can keep a secret!'

'I can!'

She just looked at him.

'I can when I want to,' he corrected.

She just giggled again. It was nice to hear her laugh again, but not at his expense.

'And if it's just secrets you're worried about…' he said.

But Sheila was shaking her head.

'And you're not a reliable kinda person! Are you? Admit it!'

'I've been reliable on plenty of occasions,' he retorted.

'Such as…'

The Cavalier paused. There were plenty of times! Weren't there?

'Um…'

Sheila was now laughing openly.

'I'm trying to choose the best example,' he said with as much dignity as he could muster. 'There are so many to choose from.'

'Give up, Eric! You're the most unreliable person I've ever met. There's no one else I know who can cause such chaos. You can't even go one single day without getting into trouble.'

Eric crossed his arms with an annoyed grunt.

'Can too!'

'Bet you can't!'

It was Eric's turn to smile. A challenge! And such an easy one! _But…_ started the voice of reason inside his head. The Cavalier resolutely ignored it.

'I bet I can!' he said confidently. 'In fact, I'll bet first watch for the next week!'

'Done!' said Sheila instantly. She was smiling widely now.

Eric smiled too. This was going to be easy! Unreliable indeed! All he had to do was stay out of trouble. But, then, considering his recent track record, perhaps it wouldn't be so simple after all. His smile was replaced by a frown. _This was a bad plan_! But it was too late to start listening to his brain now.

Sheila was still smiling as she stood up. At least she wasn't miserable anymore.

'Are you ready yet?' she asked.

The Cavalier nodded and heaved himself slowly off the ground. The Thief glanced up at the moons.

'We'd better hurry!' she said and started off after the others at a run. Eric waited for a few seconds until his legs started to obey his will again, thinking about their bet. What sort of trouble could he get into in the Grove of Moonlight? But then, when had anything ever gone smoothly in the Realm? He immediately thought of Dungeonmaster's stupid riddle:

'_You will find others like yourselves, but from across a dark ocean. With them you will find the Rainbow Orchid that grows in the Green Grove of Moonlight at the top of the Realm. Take it to the City of Recadia. Then you all shall see your home.'_

It seemed simple enough. But when had the riddles ever lead them into something that wasn't a) dumb or b) dangerous or c) both. And when had the riddles ever led them home?

He sighed._ Maybe this time_…

Sheila was far ahead of him and he ran fast (well, fast-ish) up the narrow path in the forest to catch her up, but she still reached the Grove before him.

The Green Grove of Moonlight, at the very top of the Realm, was a small, triangular-shaped clearing at the edge of a magic forest. It was surrounded by thick forest on two sides, each with a narrow path at the centre. The other side was an open ledge of overhanging rock, with a view that lasted forever.

Hank noticed the Cavalier first, and he scowled, presumably mad that Eric was late. Eric shrugged.

'Hey, I'm here now, OK.'

Hank turned back to the small, scruffy bundle of twigs he was standing beside without replying. The others stood just behind the Ranger, except Presto. The Magician was crouching down with his back to Eric. He turned briefly and said:

'Hey, Eric! Nice you could make it!'

Eric smiled at his friend's sarcasm.

'Would I miss this!' he replied eagerly. 'Twig-watching, my second favourite pastime!'

No one responded, so Eric stared at the twig too.

Nothing happened immediately and, never one for just waiting around, he wandered away from the path and out onto the overhanging rock to peek over the edge. He could see the tops of the clouds.

'That is a long way down!' he said with feeling. 'We really climbed all that way to look at a twig? Wow, how dumb can you get!'

There was a gasp behind him.

The scruffy twig that the others had been standing beside was changing. New branches were growing, each producing small, almond-shaped leaves. Within a few seconds the plant had almost doubled in height, and a few seconds later it had doubled again. Suddenly the growth stopped, and the branches all pulled themselves up and round to form a green ring round the central bud. It took a few seconds for the petals to unfurl, and it was the most beautiful flower Eric had ever seen. No need for idle boasting about the orchids back home.

The seven long, heart-shaped petals were each a different colour, running through the spectrum from red to green and back to red again. The centre of the flower was a pure, dazzling white flecked with multicoloured splodges, and there were three thin, black stamens with small, red bobbles on their tips. A warm, rich scent wafted towards him, a mix of burning candle wax and ginger.

Carefully, Hank picked the flower from its stem. The bush seemed to shudder and started to wilt away. Within seconds it was a just a dead twig in the ground.

Eric grinned and was about to speak, when…

'That's OURS!' came a female voice.

All the young ones turned. At the top of the other path was a group of four people, one girl and three boys, all teenagers.

The girl stood slightly in front, glaring at the kids. She had long, blonde ponytail down to her waist and was dressed in short, tan-coloured dress, sleeveless and tied over only one shoulder, with short brown boots. At her side was a black Whip.

The tallest boy was in the middle, dressed like Bobby the Barbarian, except with a brown bandana instead of the Viking helmet, and he carrier a tall, grey Trident. The boy on his right was dressed in light green, casual clothes, with a dark green hat. He had a wide, charming smile and across his back was a small Pack. The last boy, who was standing half in shadow, was the shortest and wore thick black robes with a hood that helped to hide his face.

The girl took another step forward.

'I said that was our Orchid! Peter, will you do the honours?'

Eric cocked his head, the different accent had caught his attention. He knew an English accent when he heard it. His Father had done a lot of deals with the folks across the pond. This was the group Dungeonmaster had told them about! A group from _across the ocean_! They were from Britain!

The boy called Peter took a few steps towards Hank, brandishing his Trident.

'What ever you say, Alison!' he said with a smile. 'It will be my pleasure!'

Suddenly there was another English voice from the path behind them, but this one was soft, and beautiful.

'Have you found it?'

Eric looked, and was confronted by the most stunning girl he had ever seen. His knees almost buckled. Shorter than the other newcomers, she had long, wavy fair hair that cascaded round her shoulders and seemed to sparkle in the moonlight. She was dressed in a diaphanous, blue dress that nestled round her curvaceous body. The gold and silver bangles on each wrist tinkled as she moved.

In her right hand she carried a Staff of rough-hewn wood, almost her own height, with a single sapphire in the centre that glowed softly, highlighting the girl's lovely face. She was so beautiful, even down to the smallest detail, the perfect curve of her hip and the single strand of hair that fell across her eyes.

She smiled at Hank and Eric felt a burning jolt of jealousy. He wanted to stride up to her, and sweep her off her feet. But he couldn't move, not even to raise his hand.

The girl was smiling coyly at Hank.

'Can I take that? Please?'

Hank muttered something indistinct under his breath, and blushed redder than a sunset. She reached out and plucked the Orchid from Hank's limp grasp.

'Who are you?' Hank whispered breathlessly.

She gave a slight bow.

'I am called Lorraine, the Enchantress.' Eric's heart seemed to skip a beat. What a beautiful name…But she glided back to the others, gently taking Peter's arm before turning round to give the young ones a superior smile. Eric gave a silent sigh. Who was he trying to kid anyway?

'Oh, this is too easy!' said Peter, levelling his Trident at Hank. Eric saw faint sparks of electricity glowing at the prongs and felt the sudden urge to run away. Peter then turned to the hooded boy at the back. 'And you said they would cause trouble!'

Lorraine held up her hand.

'What use is there in confrontation?' she said. 'We have the flower, we should go.'

Alison gave a sullen humph, flicking her Whip impatiently.

'We never have any fun,' she said.

'But what do you want with the Orchid?' asked Diana anxiously. 'We need it too, we want to get home!'

The black-robed boy at the rear of the group stepped forward, pulling back his hood. He had short cut, reddish hair, and a round, cheeky face. He couldn't have been much older than Presto. There was a big, red Book tucked under one arm that Eric hadn't noticed earlier.

'Home?' he asked, looking round the group. 'But it won't do that! Well, not yet…'

'And how do you know?' said Presto sarcastically.

'My Book!' replied the other boy, sounding proud.

They glared at each other.

'Let's argue som…' started Peter.

'Aarrgh!' interrupted Presto, pointing desperately towards the path. Everyone turned. Eric's urge to run was quintupled in an instant, panic threatening to overwhelm him. But he still couldn't move.

'Venger!' gasped Hank.

The Arch-Mage was standing at the top of the path, staring back at them, his black wings flexed. Slowly, he lifted his hand then spoke.

'We must go!' he said. 'Orcs!'

Eric stared, surprise overruling the desire to run away. There was something odd about Venger. Perhaps he'd shrunk. And he was usually all '_Give me your weapons, young fools_'. He had never said anything like that before. And there was something weird about his voice as well: it was too high.

Surprise gave way to confusion. Now that Eric was looking carefully, the way he was standing wasn't right either, all angles and hips, very feminine. He reminded Eric of Daphne from Scooby-Doo. That wasn't right at all!

'Hey,' he said, pointing. 'You're not Venger.'

The Arch-Mage gave him a terrifyingly wide smile and reached up as if to remove a pair of glasses, and light shimmered around him. Suddenly, a dark haired girl was standing there instead of Venger, dressed in a black bodysuit with four, large, red diamonds on the front. She had a black Mask in her hand that was nothing more than a strip of fabric.

'And the cuddly toy goes to…' she pointed at the Cavalier with a mock flourish. 'And that's why I hate Venger-impressions.' She turned at the girl with the Whip. 'So, we going? The Orcs will figure it out eventually.'

Alison looked back at the new girl with a frown.

'You're late!' she said. 'What were you doing, Gail, organising a war?'

Gail shrugged.

'Can I help it if Orcs want detailed orders!' she replied. 'But we should get out of here.'

Alison nodded.

'Lorraine, let them go,' she said firmly. Lorraine, the most beautiful creature in the whole Realm, lifted the Orchid to her nose and took a deep breath.

'Very well, but there will be trouble.'

The light from her staff faded, and suddenly Eric could move again. So could his friends, judging by the looks of the aggressive stance they took the instant they were free.

The other group also took a fighting stance, all but Lorraine (who was calmly walking towards the path), and Gail. She had tied the flimsy Mask round her wrist and moved forward towards the edge of the cliff, close by the Cavalier and was leaning forward to look down.

'Let's fight later,' she said in a serious tone. 'We should go, and quickly.'

'What's your rush?' said Eric, full of bravado. 'Scared of heights?'

The girl looked towards the others, and the boy with the Book spoke.

'This Grove only lasts as long as the Orchid does,' he said in surprise. 'Once picked, it's bye-bye Grove!'

Eric glanced round at his friends.

'Let's go!' he said.

'But we want the Orchid!' said Bobby firmly. 'It's ours!'

Alison scowled at him.

'It's ours now, little boy!'

'Who you callin' little!' Bobby moved forward, lifting the Club.

Hank stepped between them.

'It's our Orchid!' he said firmly.

He quickly pulled a golden arrow, aiming it at Alison. Bobby lifted his Club. Alison stepped forward, uncurling the Whip.

'It's ours now,' she hissed, 'so get used to it!'

Peter levelled the Trident and aimed it at Hank and Bobby. It glowed electric blue around the prongs.

'I can hit you before you can release that arrow,' he said threateningly. Lorraine took another nervous step back.

Eric gulped, and was about to suggest that maybe the other group should have the Orchid, when the rock under his feet gave a sharp crack, then another. He felt the stone slip slightly and looked up towards his friends, who were still staring at the new group, weapons drawn.

'Ah… Guys…' he said.

He got no further, as the Orcs suddenly appeared from the left-hand path.

'HUMANS!'

'I'll take care of them,' said Bobby proudly, and lifted his Club.

'No, Bobby!' cried Eric in a panic, 'NO, DON'T!'

But the Barbarian wasn't listening. He swung the Club down with all his strength. The land around them surged forward and the Orcs fell over, and there was an ominous splintering sound from the rocks beneath Eric feet.

He looked down, his eyes wide in fear. That big gap hadn't been there before!

'GUYS!'

The Orcs were coming up the path in large numbers and no one was listening to him.

Suddenly one of the newcomers shouted:

'Look out!'

Eric took an unsteady step forward, and the ground cracked again. This time he definitely felt the stones move. He was about to shout for help when there was a huge crunching sound from below his feet, and shouts from the oncoming Orcs. Then Eric suddenly realised he was falling.

How he managed to grab hold of the rock, he never knew. The Shield was still slung over his back and he was dangling over miles and miles of empty space. The rock he was holding wouldn't last for long. Looking up, the Cavalier could see the edge, but it was too far away to pull himself up on his own and he wasn't secure enough to find a good foothold.

'HELLPPP!' he bellowed.

He could hear the sounds of battle above, and he felt the ground tremble as Bobby struck the ground again with his Club. One or two of the stones close by were knocked out and tumbled off towards the clouds below.

'ARGGHH!'

There were more sounds and shouts from above. Then he heard Hank's clear voice.

'Scatter!'

'Hank, look out!' shouted Diana.

There was another crashing sound, then an unfamiliar, male voice shouted:

'Everybody out! It's going to go!'

In his panic, thinking that they would leave him, he almost let go by accident. Seconds passed, than a female voice called:

'I'll do it, just go!'

There was a sudden scuffing noise directly above him, and the dark haired girl popped her head over the edge looking down at him: Gail. She held out her hand.

'Quick!'

Eric didn't move. There was no way she would be strong enough to help him up.

'Come on,' she said desperately. 'The Orcs are almost here!'

He still didn't move. Where were the others?

'No more time!' Gail took a frightened glance off to the side. 'Gimme, gimme, gimme!'

What did he have to loose? The Orcs wouldn't be any help. Eric reached out to grasp her hand. Her face screwed up as she took the strain. The Cavalier tried to get a foothold against the rock, but the rocks slipped out from under him. The girl grunted as she took all of his weight for an instant.

'No …hanging…about…' she gasped.

Eric reached out for the top of the cliff with his free hand, and this time managing to get a foothold that didn't disintegrate at the slightest pressure. He pushed up, the girl pulling at the same time. They landed in a heap on the ground above, and there were dull rumbles from the rocks below. Eric glanced round. Orcs were everywhere, surrounding them in a thick wall. He couldn't see the others. His rescuer was lying on the ground beside him clutching her right shoulder, her face contorted in pain. What were they going to do?

Shaking, he stepped forward and raised his Shield.

A bright, golden arrow exploded in the air above the Orcs making them look round in fear. Then they backed away as a dozen silvery lightning bolts skipped lightly over the ground, snapping at the Orcs like irritated puppies.

Eric could see the path ahead, and the others were waiting for him. Gail whimpered as he pulled her to her feet.

'C'mon!' he said, gripping her hand tightly and dragging her forward. They ran together through the gap in the Orc's wall, hearing more rumbles behind them.

'Don't look back!' shouted Diana, somewhere ahead. 'RUN!'

The rumbling grew louder, and clouds of dust wafted overhead. The girl staggered along beside him. They were getting closer to the others with every step. The Cavalier could feel vibrations through the rocks under his feet.

Looking up, he could see some of the others ahead. Sheila was standing beside the trees, her face pale and her eyes very wide. He saw her clearly. And in those last few metres, all he could think of was:_ Damn, I've got first watch for a week!_

'ERIC, JUMP!' someone screamed.

And that's exactly what he did.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Sheila watched in horror as the Grove started to collapse around them. Orcs were everywhere and she had trouble seeing her friends, not to mention the six newcomers.

Beside her, Bobby swung his Club and the whole ground shuddered. He struggled as Sheila dragged him out of the Grove to the safety of the trees. There were more sounds and shouts, and Sheila looked around in confusion. There were too many people to make out what was happening.

Beneath her feet, the rocks gave a terrible groan.

She heard Hank and Diana calling, then a loud, deep voice that she didn't recognise shouted:

'Everybody out! It's going to go!'

Diana and Hank dived the cover of the forest, followed finally by the boy with the Trident, the one called Peter. The Acrobat looked back in a panic.

'Where's Eric?' she said.

They looked round. The Cavalier had been by the cliff when it had collapsed. Sheila's throat tightened in fear. She instinctively looked at Hank, and the Ranger's face was grim.

'Eric!' said Hank. 'We've gotta find him!'

Peter grabbed Hank's arm as the Ranger moved forward.

'Gail's on it!' said Peter firmly. 'Let's distract those Orcs!'

Most of the Orcs had run off, but a few vicious-looking ones had gathered round the cliff, where the Cavalier had been standing. The Orcs stopped advancing abruptly, and Sheila could just make out Eric's Shield, held high against the attack.

Peter swung the Trident at the ground with all his might, just as Hank fired a volley of arrows at the Orcs. Slender arcs of lightning skipped along the ground, forcing an opening in Orc wall. Sheila got a quick glimpse of Eric as he pulled the girl to her feet and started to move.

'Don't look back!' shouted Diana desperately. 'RUN!'

She could see the gleam of Eric's armour as he raced forward, dragging an obviously injured Gail by the hand. She could also see the rocks of the Grove disappearing behind them and a large dust cloud. But the Shield across his back threw the Cavalier off balance. He was running too slowly. He wasn't going to make it!

'ERIC, JUMP!' she screamed.

Eric leaped forward as far as he could, Gail doing the same. The rocks below him disintegrated just as his feet left the ground.

Sheila couldn't bear to watch, but couldn't turn away. She watched him land, hitting the ground just inches from the new edge of the cliff. The Cavalier stayed on his feet, his knees weakening under the sudden weight. Still in momentum's grip, he stumbled forward a few steps then slid to a halt, nearly smacking into a tree. Then he collapsed to the ground.

Gail hadn't been so lucky. She had slipped very close to the edge, and was lying awkwardly on her side. Behind her was a thick cloud of dust that billowed up into the sky. But there was no Grove.

No one spoke.

The dark-haired girl on the ground rolled over slowly, and her friends all gathered around her, whispering. Then Alison rounded on Eric, waving her Whip in his face.

'Look what you've done!' she shouted, pointing to the girl lying on the ground.

Eric was too out of breath to say anything, but Hank stepped forward instead.

'It's not his fault,' said the Ranger, trying to smile.

'No?' snapped Alison, still scowling 'and that little boy with the Club didn't help either!'

'Nobody calls me little!' replied Bobby. Uni stood defiantly by his side, her nostrils flared.

'Bobby!' said Sheila. She stepped forward, between the two opposing groups. 'We had better get outta here, there could be more Orcs.'

'But they have the Orchid!' said the Barbarian plaintively. 'We found it first!'

Lorraine the Enchantress gave a coy smile as she cuddled into Peter. She was still holding the Rainbow Orchid and showed no signs of wanting to give it back.

'We can settle that later, please can we go,' said Sheila anxiously. She turned to Hank for support. The Ranger nodded in agreement and looked to Alison.

'Want to come with us?' he asked. 'Safety in numbers?'

Alison hesitated, the look on her face suggesting the short answer was "Get stuffed". But she looked round to her friends.

'Well, Gail's hurt,' said the boy with the Book 'And we could use some help, I suppose.'

Alison looked back at the Ranger and nodded tersely.

'C'mon, guys!' Hank said, turning to the Acrobat. 'Diana, scout ahead. See if you can find us a good place to spend the rest of the night.'

Diana ran off as Alison and Peter helped Gail to her feet. She was cradling her right arm and looked very shaken.

After few minutes of tense silence, Diana reappeared with news of a possible campsite further down the mountain.

'And I can't see any Orcs for miles,' she added.

They started to walk down the mountainside in silence, and ten minutes later the whole group was in a small clearing at the base of another cliff. Not an ideal campsite, but they were not about to start looking further.

Sheila glanced round uneasily. It was easy to imagine Orcs creeping up on them. Or Lizardmen. Or worse! And the general feeling of nervousness wasn't helped by the angry and annoyed glances the two groups of adventurers were exchanging.

Bobby and Uni stood on one side of Hank, both watching the others. Presto was on the other, looking anxiously up at the Ranger. Diana stood beside Presto, twirling her Javelin. Eric hung back, rubbing his upper arms. Sheila took a more careful look at him. The Cavalier was still shaking.

The other group had split in two. Gail was sitting near the back of the clearing, her back against the cliff wall. Her face was pale and she refused to let anyone touch her arm. The robed boy knelt beside her, flicking through the big Book. On her other side, the Pack was lying open, and its owner was rummaging through it. He pulled out a phial and handed it to Gail with a consoling smile. Gail opened it with a look of disgust on her face, paused for a second then drank the whole lot in one go. She shuddered, and closed her eyes.

In front of them, Alison was standing with one hand on her hip, flicking the Whip back and forth. Peter stood to one side with his Trident planted firmly upright, the prongs glowing faintly. On his other side Lorraine waited, with the Rainbow Orchid still in her hand.

Sheila gave a small sigh. This was not going to help any of them. And after all, Dungeonmaster had told them they would find others. Perhaps they could all use the Orchid.

Decisively, the Thief stood up and walked over. She was greeted with a five scowls, ranging from the mildly irritated (Peter) to the downright murderous (Alison). Gail wasn't watching her at all: she still had her eyes shut. Sheila smiled.

'We should introduce ourselves,' she said.

There was silence.

'We all wanna go home, don't we?' she added.

The other group exchanged looks. Sheila saw Peter grip the Trident harder, and she gulped. Perhaps they weren't as friendly as she had thought. Finally, Alison stepped forward.

'We already know who you are,' she said, pointing to each in turn.

'Ranger, Barbarian, Magician, Acrobat, Cavalier and Thief: Dungeonmaster's star pupils!' There was a particular emphasis on the word 'star' that Sheila didn't like, but she forced another smile.

'Also known as Hank, Bobby, Presto, Diana, Eric and Sheila.' Only Hank and Diana smiled with any warmth. Presto and Bobby waved stiffly, while Eric just looked embarrassed.

'Who are you?' asked Sheila. 'Do you have nicknames too?'

'I'm Alison, the Amazon,' said Alison proudly, still flicking her Whip. 'And I'm the leader.'

She pointed to the boy with the black robes and the Book. 'He's Jamie, the Mystic.' The young boy gave a stilted wave, still watching the Young Ones warily.

'He's Paul, the Rogue,' she pointed to the brown-haired boy with the Pack. He smiled in such a warm, relaxed way that Sheila found herself smiling back at him.

'Paul the Scoundrel, more like,' added Lorraine with a wicked little smirk. Paul ignored her.

Alison pointed to the muscular boy with the Trident. 'That's Peter. He's the Gladiator.'

'She's Gail the Harlequin.' Gail didn't open her eyes, but gave a small wave when Alison said her title.

'And that's Lorraine,' said Alison.

'Lorraine the Enchantress!'

'OK, Lorraine the Enchantress,' said Alison with a huff.

'You all have magic weapons to?' asked Hank. He looked round to the other Young Ones. 'Dungeonmaster said we would find more like ourselves.'

'Dungeonmaster?' said Peter warily. 'What else did he say?'

'Didn't he send you here too?' asked Diana in surprise.

'He didn't have to,' replied the Gladiator. 'We used Jamie's Book.'

'Book?' said Presto, sounding highly unimpressed.

Jamie glared at the Magician.

'Yes, my Book! We don't have to rely on Dungeonmaster's riddles to survive!'

Presto gave a quiet hump of annoyance, but Jamie heard and scowled at him. The Mystic turned back to Gail, muttering to himself.

There was a very uncomfortable pause that seemed to last for minutes rather than seconds. No one had anything to say.

Finally, the silence was broken by Gail, who suddenly opened her eyes, and looked round at the group.

'Are we going to glare at each other all night?' she asked. 'Well, the fun never stops!'

Hank gave a small smile, and stood up his full height.

'We promise not to try an steal the Orchid, if that's what you're worried about,' he said, with a ring of sincerity. He held out his hand.

Alison nodded and said:

'We won't run off with it either.'

She reached out, and the two leaders shook hands.

Sheila smiled again, this time with less of an effort, as Gail stood up and slowly flexed her arm. The Amazon immediately looked round at her.

'How do you feel? You OK?'

Gail nodded, and started brushing the dust off her black and red bodysuit.

'It was just a strain. And now I feel great, at the moment,' she said with a broad smile. 'That stuff might taste foul, but it's worked like a charm.'

'Pity you had to take it, we don't have much of it left,' said the Amazon, looking angrily at Eric, who glanced at the ground.

Sheila sensed the fragile truce was about to deteriorate, as did Hank, who said:

'We should get some sleep. C'mon guys!'

The Young Ones all moved to make camp. The other group did the same, but with a lot less enthusiasm. Alison and Hank looked at each other carefully for a few seconds then started to discuss the sleeping arrangements.

Sheila watched them talk with a sense of unease. She didn't like the way the Amazon was looking up at Hank. They talked for about five minutes, and the Thief kept a careful eye on them all the time.

Finally, Hank waved her over.

'Will you take first watch?' he asked. 'With Alison?'

'It's Eric's turn now,' she replied, with an impish grin. There was still the question of their bet. She glanced over her shoulder to the Cavalier. He looked so shaken that she almost relented. But then he spoke.

'Hey, no fair! It wasn't my fault! That wasn't covered in our bet!'

She whirled round to face him.

'I don't call falling off a cliff, staying out of trouble, do you?'

'But…'

'You almost got yourself killed! Not to mention Gail too!'

'But…'

'You couldn't even last an hour!'

'But it wasn't my fault!' he said in his familiar, whinging way. 'I didn't ask the rock to break.'

'Well,' interrupted Alison. 'I'm not trusting my life to him!' She flicked her hand disdainfully at Eric. 'I'll do it myself.'

Gail came bouncing over.

'Why don't you let me instead?'

Close up, the Harlequin looked a lot better, and almost bursting with energy as if she'd had too much sugar and caffeine. Her eyes sparkled mischievously and she gave both the Thief and the Cavalier a big, crazy smile.

'You?' said the Amazon. 'You're as reckless as he is!'

The Harlequin looked pleadingly at Alison.

'Nice big sister, nice leader, please, pretty please!' Gail fluttered her eyes at the other girl. Alison crossed her arms.

'Oh, give it a rest Gail!' she said irritably.

Gail straightened her shoulders and stood up to her full height, looking down on her sister. Sheila blinked in surprise. The Harlequin hadn't looked that tall.

'Well,' said Gail stiffly, 'since you're in no mood for the Harlequin's usual antics, I'll try common sense. You know perfectly well I'm not going to get any sleep.' She screwed up her nose. 'I'll be wide-awake for the next day, until that stuff wears off! And since I'm going to be awake anyway, what's the point in you being awake too?'

Alison scowled at the ground for a few seconds then grudgingly agreed. She stomped off in the direction of Paul and Peter.

Hank gave Eric a fierce don't-screw-this-up look and walked off too.

'First watch! Yes!' said Gail, punching the air.

'You like first watch?' asked Eric in surprise.

The Harlequin nodded, her eyes gleaming. The Thief was about to ask what the Harlequin had taken, but the Cavalier spoke first.

'You know,' said Eric conversationally, 'you're really weird!'

Sheila's mouth dropped in surprise. OK, so Eric routinely insulted strangers, but even he shouldn't have been dumb enough to provoke another argument. However, Gail gave him a broad smile.

'But I'm suppose to be!' She jumped round and addressed them as if she was on stage, raising her arms. 'For I am the Harlequin, both Jester and Sage; humorous and serious.' Eric and Sheila looked at each other, unsure if she joking, but Gail continued. 'I am the wise Fool; the dual nature of honesty; the opposite of opposites - zenith and azimuth, a mix of Quicksilver and Steel, of fire and water; the…'

'Oh, shut up, Gail!' called Jamie from close by. 'We've all heard that speech!'

The Harlequin smirked, and waited until the young Mystic had ambled over before saying:

'You're just jealous! You have to lug that great big Book around with you all the time and I have a nice, small weapon that's easy to carry!'

The Harlequin waved her Mask at him. Jamie shook his head.

'You call that a weapon?' he replied, pointing at the scrap of black material in her hand. 'I've blown my nose on more impressive things than that!'

Gail paused for a second, and Jamie gave a smile, thinking he'd won. The Harlequin's face suddenly brightened. With a quick movement she pulled her Mask on and changed into a perfect copy of the Mystic, except for the Book.

'Oh, no!' she said in Jamie's distinctive accent, 'I can't climb that mountain, my Book is too heavy!'

Jamie scowled, but Sheila could see he was trying to hide a smile. Gail was about to continue when Alison's voice cut in.

'Stop mucking around you two!'

The two copies of the Mystic gave identical sighs, and identical shrugs. It was amazing. If it hadn't been for the Book, Sheila would never have been able to tell them apart.

'Wow,' said Eric appreciatively. 'You looked just like him!'

'It gets easier the better I know the person,' explained Gail removing her Mask. 'That's why I'm crap at Venger impressions.'

'Do someone else!' demanded Eric eagerly. 'Do me!'

Gail frowned.

'OK, stand up then,' she said.

Eric rose. Gail walked slowly round him, as if he was on display. In spite of the moonlight, Sheila was sure she saw Eric blush when Gail ran her hand lightly along his shoulder. Then she pulled the Mask down and stepped beside him.

The two Cavaliers looked at each other. They both smiled, the same dumb grin that Eric always used when he was pleased then they both turned to Sheila.

'Whaddaya think, Sheila?' asked the original Eric.

'That is so creepy!' she replied, giggling. 'One Eric is enough!'

Uni came trotting up to say goodnight to the gang, and looked warily at the pair of Erics standing side by side. She lowered her head and gave a nervous whine. Sheila laughed, patting Uni gently on the head.

'It's OK, Uni. There aren't really two of them!'

Uni gave a whinny of relief and the original Eric glared sourly at her. But the newer Eric spoke:

'Insulted by a unicorn! Huh!'

It sounded very like him, a little to high perhaps, but a good first effort. Sheila looked at the two Cavaliers, and shivered. One Eric caused enough trouble, what would two do?

'Stop it, Gail!' said Jamie, laughing too. 'You're frightening Sheila!'

The newer Eric lifted the Mask, and Gail reappeared, standing next to the Cavalier.

'That was cool!' said Eric, 'Who else…'

'Hey, knock it off, guys!' called Hank. 'It's time for some sleep.'

Everyone responded to Hank's order. Gail and Eric both moved off to take up good watch positions, and Jamie smiled shyly at Sheila then moved over to beside his friends.

The Thief waited for a few more moments then settled down on the ground close to Bobby and Uni. She felt like she wasn't going to sleep at all, in spite of the tiredness. There was something troubling her about the whole set up, and not even Hank's reassuring presence seemed to help.

She sighed. _Hank_. What was she going to do?

Since the talk with Eric earlier, she had hardly thought of the Ranger at all, there had been too much going on. But now there was a peaceful silence, the memories came flooding back. Standing alone in the grey interior of the Temple, still smarting for the argument with Bobby, then Hank had appeared. He had looked into her eyes, into her heart, and kissed her.

Her eyes flickered shut at the memory of his lips on hers. She had waited for so long. And then… Her eyes suddenly opened, remembering the look of disdain he had given her afterwards.

Not far away, a wolf howled, making Sheila's heart leap in fear. She waited but there was no other sound, so she pulled her blanket closely around her shoulders. It was too scary to sleep. It was too dangerous to sleep. No, she wasn't going to sleep.

Too dangerous…

Sheila woke with a start, looking round urgently. It was daylight, perhaps mid-morning already. The clouds of yesterday had gone, and the sky was a beautiful shade of azure blue. Through the trees, she caught a glimpse of the shining white walls of a city: Recadia.

No one else stirred, the others were all still sleeping. The new groups was still there, she could see Peter's Trident propped up against a tree. The Thief looked round, and saw the Harlequin sitting cross-legged on a big rock, looking out over the mountainside. Eric was sound asleep close by.

Gail noticed the movement, and turned to smile at the Thief. Sheila smiled back, but inside she was surprised. The Harlequin had been on watch all night and all morning, and was not showing any signs of tiredness. She had the same manic gleam in her eye that she'd had last night. That potion she'd drunk last night must have been extremely powerful!

A few minutes later Bobby stirred, and Uni moved too. Within fifteen minutes everyone was up and getting ready for the day. Presto and Diana talked excitedly together, and Paul the Rogue joined in. Eric spent most of time yawning.

Immediately after Hank was awake, he sought Alison out, and they talked together for a long time. Sheila found she couldn't stop watching them. Hank noticed, because he blushed. The discussion seemed very intense, with lots of head-shaking and frowning, but eventually Hank came over to the other Young Ones.

'We are all going to Recadia,' announced Hank. 'But Alison won't give up the Orchid. I don't think she trusts us, so on the way we'll all have to be on our best behaviour. We have to show them that we're their friends.'

He looked sternly at Eric.

'Don't screw things up!'

Eric nodded, but didn't argue, much to Sheila's surprise. He yawned again.

'Um, Hank,' asked Diana in a low voice. 'They can trust us, but do we trust them?'

Hank didn't answer immediately.

'I think so,' he said slowly. 'Remember what Dungeonmaster said. "Take the Orchid to the City of Recadia. Then you all shall see your home". That sounds like we could all get home to me.'

Diana nodded tentatively and Sheila could see the looks of uncertainty on the faces of the others.

'I know,' said Hank. 'So let's talk to them, get to know them and we'll decide what we'll do when we get to Recadia.'

They all nodded and Hank started walking down the mountain, and everyone followed him.

It seemed that Alison had given similar instructions to her friends, as soon the two groups had merged into one straggly line.

The Harlequin walked ahead with Eric and Presto. The Magician had been doing little tricks, while Gail practiced her Venger impression, taking tips from the Cavalier and the Magician. Sheila couldn't help smiling at them. The sight of Eric and Presto strolling through the countryside with Venger towering over them was very, very funny.

Eric talked almost non-stop and told the Harlequin all about their adventures, and Presto had to interrupt from time-to-time when the story wandered from the truth. Gail listened intently, and seemed particularly impressed when the Cavalier recounted their adventure with Kelek and the unicorns, and when he told her about freeing the bogbeasts.

Peter and Lorraine walked arm in arm and seemed to spend every waking moment in each other's company, to the exclusion of the whole world. Sheila could see the Rainbow Orchid, tucked carefully into the top of the Enchantress' Staff.

Diana and Paul walked just behind them, chatting about school and sports. Paul was talking about swimming schedules and early morning training, and Diana was describing the school gym facilities. They seemed to be getting along pretty well. Paul was a charming boy, good-looking with a confident air. Diana had taken quite a shine to him, and he obviously appreciated the attention. But the Acrobat wasn't stupid, and only the extremely unobservant would have failed to notice the constant looks that the Rogue gave Alison.

The Amazon herself walked with Hank throughout day, and every time Sheila saw them, she felt a bitter stab of jealousy.

Jamie the Mystic walked with her and Bobby. Uni gambolled around them, but made sure she kept well out of the Mystic's way. They talked of their homes, and how they had come to be in the Realm. Initially, Jamie had been unwilling to talk about it, but Bobby had described in great detail how the Young Ones had got here, and Jamie joined in.

'We were at a training camp,' he explained. 'A sports camp, for part of the summer. We did all sorts of things, martial arts, swimming, boxing, basketball, football, lots of different sports.' He smiled sadly. 'As a special day out we went to Alton Towers, and we took the Dungeons and Dragons ride.'

He sighed.

'It seems like ages ago. I wish we could get home.'

Bobby gave him a big smile.

'We'll all get back this time!' he said confidently. 'No sweat!'

Sheila smiled too, trying to cheer the Mystic up a little. But Jamie didn't smile back, and that was the first time Sheila got the feeling that there was something odd going on.

At first the Thief put it down to the suspicion between the two groups, but as they all walked on, the feeling grew stronger. It took her almost the whole day to work it out.

The Young Ones weren't the problem. Instead, the new group was pulling itself apart. Alison might have been leader, but almost ever decision she made had to be backed up by someone else (often Peter). Lorraine scowled every time Alison spoke to Peter, and Paul scowled anytime Peter spoke to Alison.

Jamie deliberately stayed out of the way. Gail also tried to stay out of the way, but Alison kept dragging her in. The Harlequin was obviously getting sick of being picked on by her sister, and she stayed close to Presto and Eric.

But, above all, it seemed that none of the other group liked each other anymore.

Sheila became more worried. Once she'd spotted the problem, it was so glaringly obvious that she didn't know how she could have missed it. What was she going to say to the others? Just because the other group was having a few problems didn't mean they were untrustworthy, did it? They all wanted to go home, after all…

There was a harsh laugh that shattered Sheila's train of thought. Alison was telling Hank about her Aikido training and had become very excited when he asked to be shown some moves.

'It's to dangerous for you!' she said, grinning. 'Gail, Ga-il!'

The Harlequin turned, her shoulders sagging.

'No, Ali!' she said, in a frighteningly familiar, I-hate-being-the-younger-sibling kind of way. 'I don't want to be practiced on!'

'Oh, don't be such a spoilsport and c'mere!'

Gail grimaced, but obediently trotted over to Alison and Hank. She pulled on her Mask turning into a huge Orc Captain with a wicked grin, something that the Amazon was not pleased about.

'You treacherous little cow! Why can't you behave?'

The Orc continued to grin.

Sheila turned away from the subsequent argument between the two sisters, unable to face watching Alison show off to the Ranger, and followed Peter and Lorraine as they walked on.

Her heart filled with anger. She had tried to hide it all day, but it suddenly flooded through her. Hank hadn't spoken at her at all today. Why was he ignoring her so callously? Nothing had been the same since the Temple.

It had been hard being stuck in the Realm, knowing she could never have him here. But there were looks; there were touches every day, that told her how he felt. And there was his smile. He had a special smile that he only gave when he looked at her, a smile that said 'I love you'.

After that glorious, beautiful kiss in the Temple, he had turned away and left her. That one kiss! It was the only time he had ever kissed her. The though of it made her head spin, and transported her up through the mundane life that was around her. She had never understood what the word wonderful had meant before that kiss!

In the Temple, she had looked up, into those vivid blue eyes, desperate to know that he felt the same. She had waited, willing him to speak, desperate to her him say the words.

But there was nothing. He looked at her as if she was a piece of garbage that he'd forgotten to put in the dustbin. It had almost killed her. Tears formed in her eyes and she blinked them away. She had to get out of this place, she had to get away from him. Going home soon was the only escape, even if it meant trusting the others.

So that was exactly what she told her friends when they stopped for food that afternoon, a few miles from the city of Recadia. They had each come to the same conclusion independently. They all wanted to go home, and they thought the others were trustworthy enough.

But the Thief didn't say anything about her thoughts on the stability of the other group. It wasn't a very nice thing to do, and it wasn't their fault. Besides, it would just have sounded like she was blaming Alison, and being mean. The last thing she wanted was Hank to think she was jealous!

The Ranger grinned at them.

'I have a good feeling about this, guys,' he said. 'I think we'll all get home this time.'

Sheila looked at his confident smile, and the looks of happiness the others were giving him, and felt cold.

'But the portal will only show one amusement park,' said Diana, who had obviously been discussing portals with Paul earlier.

Hank nodded.

'Yes, but home is home,' said he firmly. 'Does it matter which side of the Atlantic we're on? We'll just have buy some fake passports and charter ourselves a flight!'

Sheila waited for a comment from Eric about personal jets and how his Dad had a whole fleet, but none came. He was staring quietly across to Recadia and seemed to be only half-listening.

'But how do we find the portal in the first place,' asked Bobby. 'Do they know?'

Hank nodded.

'Jamie asked the Book. We have to find someone in the city, to get instructions.'

Diana glanced at the other group, then lowered her voice and said:

'Do you think this will work, Hank?'

The Ranger nodded again.

'Don't worry, guys. I know this is difficult, but we can all work together and get home, I know we can! We'll camp here until morning, then search the city.'

He turned to Eric.

'It's your watch, Cavalier.'

Eric stood up, but didn't argue.

'Great,' he said miserably.

'You'll watch with Gail again,' ordered Hank. 'Don't fall asleep without waking me.'

'But she's been awake for the past day!' said Eric incredulously.

He said it so loudly that the other group heard him, and they all stopped talking and turned to stare. The Cavalier blushed as the Harlequin walked over.

'Looks like it's you and me again, Cavalier,' said Gail, looking intently at Eric, who blushed even more. She gave his arm a playful tug. 'It's not really that bad, is it?'

'But will you be OK?' asked Sheila tentatively. 'Don't you need sleep?'

'In about five hours time you won't be able to wake me!' Gail replied with a grin. 'Until then I'll be as alert as possible.'

Eric gave a loud sigh.

'I hate stupid first watch,' he muttered, frowning at Sheila as if it was her fault. 'Come on then, Gail!'

The two of them moved to the edge of camp. The Thief watched them bicker like a couple of kids about where to sit. Hank finally had to step in and settle the matter before anyone could get any peace.

The two groups slowly prepared for another night. Paul poked around in his Pack and brought out a few pillows, while Presto tried to rustle up some blankets for everyone.

Last thing Sheila remembered was watching Eric stare off into space as he sat next to the Harlequin.

* * *

Sadly, the Cavalier was so intent in his staring that he failed to notice a small, black Shadow flitting silently between the trees.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Early the next morning Sheila awoke to the faint sound of music. Beautiful voices drifted up from the city below them, as if the whole city was singing. She sat up, listening in wonder.

Hank and Paul were on watch together, and enjoying the music too.

'They've been singing since dawn,' Paul told her. 'No breaks!'

Everyone was awake within a few minutes, all except Gail who was sound asleep under Eric's cloak. Not even the singing, or the noise of camp, or the smell of food woke her.

With their Hat and Pack, Presto and Paul contrived to produce a decent breakfast. It was so tasty that Alison had to confiscate part of it to make sure there was some left from her sister.

Despite the fact that they had to go and search for information about the portal, the whole group lingered over the meal, chatting. The obvious tension of yesterday had evaporated. Even Uni was feeling relaxed, and had finally let Jamie pet her. Nobody wanted to go, and for the first time since they had left the Grove, they seemed to actually enjoy each other's company.

Sheila was the only one not at ease. She had a faint memory of disturbed dreams, and the start of a headache. But worse was the way the Ranger and the Amazon were acting together. She wanted to throw her breakfast in Hank's face and the Thief's temper slowly rose through the whole meal.

Finally, Lorraine turned the conversation back to the portal with a question.

'Are we going to search the city by ourselves?'

Hank looked at her in surprise. She fidgeted with the Orchid, before tucking it safely in the top of her Staff.

'I though we would split into pairs,' said the Ranger. He looked around the group and Sheila felt as though a sliver of ice had just been dropped down her spine. Hank had planned to go off with Alison!

'Lorraine's right,' the Thief said loudly, much to her own surprise as well as everyone else's. 'It'll be much faster.'

There were nods of agreement from the others, including Eric, who was usually the last person to want to go anywhere one his own.

'I don't like it,' said the Ranger. 'It might be dangerous.'

Sheila looked steadily at him.

'We'll all be careful.'

There were more approving noises and the Thief gave a silent sigh of relief. So far so good!

'Do you have a map of the city, Jamie?' Alison asked. The Mystic nodded, and started flicking deftly through his Book.

'A-ha!' he said after a few seconds. 'Take a look!'

He showed them an open double page, with a fantastically detailed map of the city of Recadia on it. Everything, down to the smallest tree was marked in tiny, copperplate writing.

Over the next half hour, they carefully decided which person would search were. Then Presto asked a very important question.

'But who are we actually looking for?'

Jamie shrugged.

'Don't know, but he will find us,' said the Mystic. 'But don't worry, the Book's right about most things!'

'So does it know if we'll get home?' asked Presto hopefully.

Jamie shook his head, looking strangely uncomfortable with the question.

'It doesn't like me asking that sort of thing, sorry!'

Presto sighed.

'Great! It sounds about as cooperative as my Hat!'

Hank stood, gripping the Bow tightly. He looked round at the group and gave them a confident grin, his eyes shining with hope. Sheila had seen that look many times, but it had never looked so false before. Did he really believe this would work?

'Let's get going!' said the Ranger. 'We should be done by noon, but the sooner we get into the city, the sooner we'll be found!'

The others looked round at each other with optimistic smiles.

'But what about Gail?' asked Peter suddenly. 'Should we wake her?'

Alison shook her head.

'Oh, leave her be! If she wakes while we're gone, she'll just go back to sleep!'

Everyone stood, except Eric, who stayed cross-legged on the ground.

'Just let me get this straight,' he said. 'We are going to search the city, separately, for someone who we don't know, but who is looking for us?'

Hank nodded.

'It sounds dumb!'

'So do you, Cavalier!' said Diana with a tight smile. She prodded him with her Javelin. 'So get walking!'

Eric stood, and took a final glance round the camp. He noticed Sheila and smiled arrogantly.

'You can't think this is going to work, Sheila?' he asked.

She was only half listening, too busy watching Hank and the Amazon. The Cavalier followed her gaze, and then looked back sharply.

Sheila knew him well enough to know what he'd say, so she rushed past, not wanting a repeat of their conversation. She didn't want to talk to anyone, let alone have Eric try and be 'nice' to her again!

The Thief walked alone through the long grass, down to the track-way to the City, looking around her intently, in an effort to stop looking at Hank. Recadia had high, white walls, but the houses and buildings behind were still tall enough to peep over the top. It had the air of a classical Realm-style city, similar to the beautiful City of Zinn, with fantastic towers and broad arches.

As she approached the gateway, Sheila could see a seething mass of colours through the open gateway, as people danced and moved to the music. Above the gate was a sign: 'The Festival of the Flower.'

Sheila didn't stop to say goodbye to the others as she went inside, not even Bobby. The desire to be alone was too strong, and she walked through the crowds, not joining with the festivities. Part of her wanted to keep on walking, leaving the others behind. She couldn't stand to see Hank fawning over the Amazon any longer.

It took her five minutes to walk up the main street, and she turned left, towards the centre, now not paying attention to what was happening around her. Try as she might, she couldn't stop thinking about Hank.

Suddenly, she stopped, peering past the groups of people to the start of a small lane.

There was something usual about that one street. It was empty. Sheila slipped through the crowds heading towards it, glad to be free of the clinging happiness she didn't feel. The houses were more dilapidated down this street. There were boards on the windows and thick tufts of grass poked up through the road. She walked for a few minutes and the street wound slowly upwards, then she found herself beside a small, dark shop.

For some reason, this shop seemed very interesting. Perhaps it was the fact that it was completely the opposite of everything else in the city. It was very small, it was in dire need of a coat of paint, but above all it was quiet!

Sheila only paused for a second before pushing the door open.

Inside it was very different, not the dark, squalid shop she had expected. The air was heavy with the scent of spice, and glowing globes cast golden light around the room. There was a neat, thick rug over the stone floor, and a few tables with lots of extravagantly shaped bottles on them. In the far corner, beside a door, were a couple of old, wooden chairs.

Sheila stood nervously for a few seconds, then, when nothing happened, she moved closer to one of the tables.

There were all sorts of shapes and sizes of bottle on this table, each one transparent with different coloured liquids and powders in them, from crimson to emerald to lavender.

She leaned forward and pulled the top out of the tallest bottle, wanting to sniff.

'No, my dear!' said a soft voice beside her.

Sheila jumped, but didn't drop the stopper. A middle-aged woman, with a delicate smile was standing beside her, wearing a thick, red dress and a black shawl. She nodded at Sheila and pointed at the bottle.

'It is not the sort of potion you are in need of, my dear.'

The Thief blushed, hurriedly replacing the stopper.

'I…I…I'm sorry,' she stammered. 'I didn't see anyone and…'

The woman smiled enigmatically.

'Hush, my dear. I understand the strength of curiosity!'

Sheila gave a small smile.

'Who are you?' she asked.

'I am Ellice,' she said. 'And this is my shop.' She waved her hand slowly around the room.

'What do you do here?'

'I create magic!' said Ellice, her eyes gleaming. 'I make Potions, Powders and Scrolls.'

The woman looked at Sheila's Cloak a faint, mysterious smile on her lips again.

'So, you are one of Dungeonmaster's pupils? The Thief, perhaps?'

Sheila nodded, her spirits rising. They were getting quite a reputation around these parts.

'No doubt you are here on some quest, my dear? The Orchid…?'

Again, Sheila nodded, but less certainly. It was unnerving having someone know all about you like this. The woman gave a soft sigh.

'Ah, yes. The eternal search for magic. It is what drives this Realm. Yet I have not heard of the Dungeonmaster for a long age! He is always busy.' She gave a more friendly smile and added:

'You are fortunate to be his pupil, as Dungeonmaster is wise in the ways of this Realm. He will always help those who are in need. In fact, he and Zandora even helped me find this wonderful city, once, a long time ago.'

'Zandora? As in Zandora's Box?' asked Sheila eagerly.

Ellice nodded, but with a slight frown.

'The Sorceress paid a heavy price for helping, she was locked…'

'No!' interrupted Sheila. 'No, we found her Box, and she's free!'

Ellice gasped, raising her hand to her mouth in surprise.

'Well, my dear! Fate was smiling when she brought you to my shop. You must tell me more.'

The woman clapped her hands twice and a little, wooden table scuttled out of the doorway, with an ornate, bronze pot and two cups on top, along with a plate full of what looked like sponge cakes.

'We will drink and eat, my dear,' said Ellice. 'This is grass tea, and these are dragon-berry cakes. You must try some.'

Ellice poured out some thick liquid into the cups, as the Thief helped herself to one of the offered cakes. It tasted sour, but not unpleasant, similar to dark chocolate. The tea was much sweeter than she'd expected and Sheila didn't like it, but was far too polite to leave any.

'Tell me of your adventures,' said Ellice, nibbling on a cake. 'Tell me of the sorceress.'

The Thief spoke about the earthquake and finding the Box, and all their trouble in finding the Skull Mountain and freeing Zandora. Then she told Ellice all about how they had gotten back to Earth, only to have to come back to the Realm to stop Venger from destroying their home.

After eating another two dragon-berry cakes, Sheila then found herself telling this woman all about the Temple of Love, their new friends, and their increasingly desperate search for a way home.

The woman listened intently as Sheila talked, with the trace of a smile on her lips.

'Such is the fate of many who follow the Dungeonmaster,' she said as Sheila fell silent. 'The way is difficult, and danger dogs their very steps.'

Ellice looked sadly at the Thief before continuing:

'The path you tread is harsh and lonely, and love will only hurt you more.'

'What do you mean?' asked Sheila, suddenly nervous.

'The Ranger, you fear his affection has wavered?' said the woman.

Sheila nodded mutely.

'You wish him back? You wish he looked at you the way he used to?'

Sheila nodded again, trying to fight back tears.

'Perhaps…' said Ellice slowly, 'yes, perhaps you should play a little trick on him!'

The woman stood and went to one of the tables, rummaging for a particular bottle.

'I have no gift of foresight, but my heart tells me that this is the Power you need,' she said, pressing a tiny phial into Sheila's hand. 'This is the Powder of Stillness, one single measure. Sprinkle it on his hair, and the next person he touches with passion will go as still as a grave.' She gave her mysterious smiled. 'So if you cannot have him, then no one can!'

Sheila giggled. She would love to see Hanks face when the Amazon fainted and couldn't be woken. That should put Hank off kissing anyone for a while.

'But,' she said. 'I can't take this, I shouldn't, and I can't afford…'

'Hush, my dear,' said Ellice. 'This is a small token of thanks. You have brought me happy news today. So take it, and be glad!'

Sheila gripped the little phial, thinking of the delicious possibilities for revenge.

'It can be undone, can't it?' she asked in a whisper.

'Only when you wish it to be,' was the reply. 'It depends on the circumstances, my dear. When the time comes, you will know.'

Sheila nodded and smiled at Ellice.

'Thank you!' said the Thief. 'But I should go, now. I still have to search.'

Ellice nodded.

'I understand. You have tarried here at my request long enough. Take another cake for your walk.' The woman held up the half-empty plate.

Sheila accepted with a smile, and Ellice showed her out.

As she walked back down the street, Sheila felt happier than she had for a number of days and was glad to hear the singing again. She ate her cake as she walked around the streets, waiting for the mysterious 'someone' to appear, but there were only more happy revellers and singing. Recadia seemed far more pleasant, but she hardly noticed, she was busy day-dreaming about playing her little trick on Hank.

When her search was complete, Sheila wandered back to the gate, and out into the grassland, heading back to the meeting place.

Diana, Eric and Paul were already there, along with a still-sleeping Gail. There was no need to ask if they'd been successful, the glum faces said it all.

The others trickled back over the next hour, Bobby and his unicorn, then Presto and Jamie arrived almost at the same time, then Peter.

Sheila had grown increasingly jealous while she'd waited. That evil Amazon, trying to steal her man! But Hank was just as bad, since they had met the others he'd barely even acknowledged her existence.

Alison appeared just before noon, and Hank came wandering up about ten minutes later. But that didn't have Sheila fooled, not for a second. Her resolve hardened. That night she would get some payback!

They only waited a couple more minutes, then the Enchantress came rushing up. She was out of breath, but beaming widely as when she arrived back at the camp.

'I found what we were looking for!' said Lorraine eagerly, waving the flower. 'An old man came up to me, he'd seen the Orchid. He gave us instructions!'

The group cheered.

'What've we gotta do?' asked Bobby  
'There's a stone circle, up river somewhere,' she said. 'A Henge. We have to get there soon and, if we do things right, a portal will open.' Lorraine looked sadly at her friends. 'Sorry, but it won't open up a portal to our home, only theirs.'

'Why?' demanded Alison.

'He picked it,' replied Lorraine, pointing at Hank.

'What are we going to do?' said Paul the Rogue, looking round at his friends.

Hank smiled, and said:

'Home is home, right? I'm sure we can get you back somehow. Maybe, Eric can hire a plane and pilot, and fly you all back!'

The Cavalier nodded half-heartedly.

'Sure! I mean, how hard can it be to smuggle six teenagers into Britain!'

'What did you mean Lorraine, "do things right"?' asked Jamie. 'What sort of things?'

'There's a ritual to do, to use the power of the Orchid.'

Eric groaned.

'Do we have to?' he asked. 'Isn't there something less formal?'

'No,' she replied. 'We have to do all the right things in the right order for the portal to open.'

'Great,' muttered Eric, hunched over his Shield. 'More dumb rituals!'

'Where do we find this stone circle?' asked Diana.

The Enchantress shrugged.

'I don't know, but it's by the river.'

'Hey,' said Jamie. 'The Book will know!'

He pulled the Book out in front of him, and started to flick through its pages.

Sheila peered over the Cavalier's shoulder to look at Jamie's book. It showed the city of Recadia, and about half-a-days journey to the southwest, there was a Henge, just below the steep mountains on the other side of the plain. There were a number of narrow paths shown on it, and they were able to plan their route.

'We should follow the river,' said Hank, running his finger along the page. 'There's a ravine that might be difficult to cross, but at least we don't have to climb more mountains!'

'Do ya really think it'll work, Hank?' asked Bobby, 'Really?'

Hank nodded.

'Whoopee!' shouted Bobby. 'We're gonna get home!'

For the first time ever, Sheila didn't share her brother's enthusiasm, as her mind was on the Ranger. She rubbed her pocket lightly, feeling the phial of Powder there. She would have to get Hank on his own to use it. No one else could find out what she was up to.

Hank grinned at them all.

'We should start walking. If we leave now, we could get to the Henge in time for some dinner!'

The Amazon nodded, and went to wake her sister. Gail looked tired, and Sheila couldn't help overhearing Alison say:

'But you've had thirteen hours of sleep. You don't need anymore. You didn't last time!'

The Harlequin seemed to disagree, and Sheila didn't hear what the reply was, but Alison snapped back: 'No, you don't! So get up! Or we'll leave without you!' then stormed off.

Within a few minutes, they all left the campsite, heading for the river. There wasn't even time for Gail to eat the leftovers Alison had kept since breakfast, so the unfortunate Harlequin had to walk and eat at the same time. She was still very sleepy, and walked slowly at the back. But the food attracted the attention of Eric, and Gail surrendered part of it, just to keep him quiet.

Sheila spent the rest of the day in a state of heightened apprehension. She couldn't concentrate on what was happening around her, and the day seemed to pass in a blur. She remembered Bobby and Jamie racing each other to various landmarks. Paul and Peter were discussing how they could get back into Britain without anyone noticing, with Lorraine beside them.

At the front, Presto and Diana talked eagerly with Hank, and Alison walked next to the Ranger in awed silence, which just infuriated Sheila even more.

They crossed the grasslands to the river, and followed it downstream for a few hours. Hank set up a brisk pace, and no one was allowed to rest. As the Ranger had predicted, the ravine was too difficult to cross, and they had to leave the river for a few miles, avoiding it completely.

As the first of the suns set, they reached the river again, luckily almost opposite the Henge. It was perched on a small hillock just above the river, surrounded by a thin forest. Behind were the steep slopes of the mountains.

Everyone wanted to celebrate, and set up camp, but Hank insisted that they cross the river before the suns set completely.

He looked at Presto, who smiled back.

'No need to ask, Hank!' said the Magician. 'The Hat will come up with something good!'

He waved his hand over the Hat and said:

'It's your chance to shine! We need to float,

Across the river in a nice, big boat!'

In his hand, the Hat convulsed, and spat out a small rowboat, the size of his hand.

'That's a good trick, Presto!' said Diana with a short laugh, 'but we need something a bit larger!'

Presto frowned, and threw the boat over his shoulder, into the water behind him.

There was a slurping noise, and everyone jumped.

Behind Presto was a full-sized boat, big enough to take three at a time. Peter clapped Presto on the shoulder.

'That's so cool!' he said, making Presto blush.

'There're no oars,' said Diana, 'but…' She held up her Javelin, extending it to her own height. 'But I think I can manage with this!'

So by the time the last sun had set and the moons had risen, all thirteen of them were across the river and setting up camp beneath the Henge.

Sheila had become increasingly nervous and distracted during the ferrying operation. Everyone was milling around too much. Even while Paul and Presto made a fire and some food, she couldn't keep watching Hank properly. People were talking, and walking around, some went down to the river; some went up to explore the Henge. It was too muddled. It was too hectic.

Suddenly, Sheila realised the Amazon had gone. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw a flash of green. Turning, she saw Hank walk briskly towards the mountain path. The surge of jealousy through her chest almost made her drop dinner into the fire.

This was it.

'Are you alright, Sheila?' asked Jamie, his head cocked to the side like a curious bird.

'I…I feel a little, funny,' she managed, trying to keep calm. 'I need a little sit down. I'll be fine. Maybe some water.'

She knew the Mystic watched her walk to the bushes, heading towards the river. Once out of sight, with a practiced flick of her wrist, the hood of her Cloak was up, and she ran through the woods toward the path, intent on catching up with Hank.

This was it, she could feel it. He was going to meet Alison.

Now.

She ran on, hearing voices ahead. Diana and Paul were walking through the woods, downhill to the camp. Looking carefully, Sheila saw Hank crouched behind a rock, obviously trying to keep out of their way. She felt another, stronger pang of jealousy, and pulled the phial out of her pocket, feeling it cold in her hand. This was the perfect opportunity. She tiptoed up behind Hank as he waited for the others to pass.

Ellice's words came back to her, and the Thief hesitated. Daydreaming revenge was one thing, going ahead and actually doing it was quite different. OK, so Hank had been a jerk and the Amazon was the most annoying person in the whole Realm, but was this really a good idea. Then she saw his face; his eyes were wide and he was grinning. A shudder passed through Sheila and she pulled the cork with a soft pop.

Just before he stood up, she emptied the vial's contents over Hank's head. Sparkling, multi-coloured Powder trickled out, covering his hair. The Ranger staggered slightly as he rose, as if disorientated, then he ran off up the hill.

Sheila took a slow breath, and smiled. That would teach him to cheat on her! She couldn't wait to see the look on his face when the Powder took effect, and had to stifle a laugh. She couldn't miss it. She ran on, up the path after him. Hank seemed to be following a trail through the forest.

Finally, the trees ended and the Thief came to a rocky plateau to the side of the steep ravine. The rock cliffs of the mountain above curved round to the ravine edge and cast deep black shadows in the moonlight. There was a steep drop to the river on the other side, the low rumble of water clearly audible in the still night. Over the stones and boulders across the ravine, there was the most fantastic view out over the Realm, made even more beautiful with the clear, starry sky and the full disks of the moons. Perfect for a midnight tryst.

Sheila struggled to overcome the jealousy once more. This was going to serve Hank right. She stopped beside the cliffs, a discrete distance from the Ranger, feeling secure and safe under her Cloak.

She waited.

The Ranger stood close to the edge of the ravine, and peered down. He kicked at some of the loose stones and watched as they tumbled down to the churning water below.

'Hey!' said a voice from the shadows, a familiar voice.

Hank turned, and smiled. Sheila looked to the shadows, frowning. Something wasn't right, that voice belonged to…

'Hi Eric,' said Hank casually.

Sheila took an involuntary step back against the cliffs, holding on to the rock to steady herself. What was he doing here? This wasn't supposed to happen! Sheila was staring. Her eyes were open so wide that they began to hurt. Hank meeting Eric? What was going on?

'Any problems?' asked Eric.

Hank shook his head.

'They're all to busy with food and exploring. They probably wouldn't notice if you pranced around nude at the moment!'

'How tempting!' said Eric with a smirk.

Hank giggled and looked out over the valley to the full disks of the moons. Sheila suddenly felt very uncomfortable. Something wasn't right.

'This is a great place,' said the Ranger. 'How did you find it?'

'The Book was very cooperative.'

Hank laughed as Eric strolled up beside him, standing close, far too close, and looked down into the ravine.

'It is a long way down.'

The Ranger nudged the other boy playfully in the ribs and smiled THE smile, her smile, the one he used to reserve for her alone. Sheila felt sick, her knees give way and she sank to the ground, but she couldn't stop watching at the two boys.

Suddenly Eric stood back, and crossed his arms. He looked sternly at the Ranger.

'You just can't help yourself, can you?' said Eric. The Ranger grinned impishly and reached up flick hair out of his eyes. There was a faint shimmer of light, then it wasn't Hank standing there, it was the Harlequin, the moonlight shining around her. She tied the Mask round her wrist, still grinning at Eric, and gave an extravagant bow.

'You know me too well, good sir! But, pray tell, how could I pass up the opportunity? I believe it was a certain Cavalier that told me I needed more practice!'

Sheila was far too surprised, far too confused, and far too embarrassed to do anything but gawp. She watched them for a number of seconds, her mouth hanging open, trying to understand what she had stumbled on.

Eric and Gail were here.

No Alison!

No Hank!

The Harlequin folded her arms round Eric's neck.

'Do you still mean what you said earlier?' Gail asked. 'You haven't changed your mind?'

Eric gave a greedy smile, and pulled Gail as close as he could. Then he kissed her, gently at first, but with increasing passion. From the mountain high above, there was the loud howl of a wolf that made Sheila jump, but neither the Cavalier nor the Harlequin noticed.

_Eric and Gail?_ Had she missed something? When had THAT happened?

The Thief stayed crouching at the base of the cliff, her shock and acute embarrassment slowly fading. She tried not to watch the two people entwined in each other's arms, and a faint smile crept across her face. Part of her was pleased: Eric needed a girlfriend.

Thinking back over the previous two days, it was obvious. Those two had been in each other's company for almost the entire time: the night watches, the walk to Recadia, and the walk to the Henge. In fact, now she thought about it, Sheila wouldn't have put it past Eric to have deliberately missed searching Recadia in favour of returning to camp to be with Gail. The contented way that they kissed and touched each other suggested that this was not the first time they'd been alone together. No wonder Gail had still been so sleepy earlier, she'd probably spent the previous few hours making out with her secret boyfriend.

And no one had suspected anything was going on! Sheila's smile widened as she thought back to the conversation she'd had with the Cavalier a few days before. And she'd said he couldn't keep a secret!

The Thief waited for a while, wondering what she should do, and if she could get back to the path without being caught, when suddenly her breath caught in her throat. The Powder! She had put it on the wrong person! She had put it on Gail!

She stared for another minute, unsure what to do, running through the possibilities. Then there was a dull scuffling noise from the path, and her vague confusion turned to complete shock. The Thief shrank back against the rocks.

_Orcs! Here! How? This couldn't be happening…_

Three Orc soldiers with clubs, and a huge Orc Captain, crept onto the plateau. The pair by the ravine were still kissing, even as the Orcs stepped out of the shadows.

Suddenly they jumped apart.

'What the hell's happening!' demanded the Cavalier. His face was flushed and his breathing heavy, but he reacted very quickly. 'Can't we get any goddamn privacy in this place!'

The Orc Captain stepped forward, drawing a sword. Eric pushed the Harlequin behind him, holding his Shield up. He glanced to the ravine below them. They were trapped.

'Cavalier and Harlequin!' growled the Orc.

'Don't come any closer, Pork-face!' ordered Eric, his voice surprisingly clear and steady. His lip curled into an arrogant sneer. 'I'll have you know that this Shield is… This Shield…is…'

He raised his free hand to his forehead and took an unsteady half step backwards, closer to the edge. He turned to Gail, a look of surprise on his face.

'I don't feel so…good. I'm …' He swayed against her, and started to slide to the ground. The Shield hit the ground with a dull clang.

Gail staggered, trying to support the full weight of Eric. The closest Orc stepped forward, and she kicked it squarely in the shin. It snarled, but moved back. The Harlequin took a desperate glance down to the unconscious Cavalier then let him slip to the ground. She stepped in front him and stood up tall, taking the same fighting stance as she had earlier against her sister.

'What do you want?' she said loudly, but the shake in her voice betrayed her fear.

The Captain pointed to the fallen Cavalier.

'WEAPONS!'

Sheila couldn't see what happened next clearly, it all happened so fast. The three Orc soldiers all seemed to attack at once. Two of them got swift punches to their faces for their trouble, but the last one ducked fast enough and stepped back to swing his club round at the Harlequin.

Gail saw it, and raised her arm to block, but either the Orc was stronger, or the club was heavier than she'd anticipated and it hit her arm with a sharp crack. The Harlequin gave a squeal of pain and stepped backwards, loosing her footing as she tripped over the prone Cavalier. The squeal turned into a terrified scream; she was unable to keep her balance on the loose stones and toppled over the edge into the churning waters below.

There were a few seconds of emptiness, filled with the roar of the waters, then the Orcs gave a rousing cheer.

Sheila was shaking, her body felt as if it had shut down. She couldn't feel anything, and her heart was thumping so loudly she was sure the Orcs would hear it. God, what had she done?

The Orc Captain gave a hoarse shout as he looked down into the water.

'Fools, we have lost the Mask!'

The cheering petered out. The Orcs looked sullenly around at each other.

'This was not part of our orders,' bellowed the Captain. 'Venger will not be pleased! He laid this trap carefully.'

The Orc beside him laughed.

'Foolish, trusting humans,' it said. 'Betrayed by one of their own kind!'

The Captain cuffed it brusquely.

'Silence! Get the Shield!' shouted the Captain. 'And bring the boy! Quickly, we have to meet the others! We are already late!'

Sheila barely heard them, as the thump of her heart was deafening her. She watched in horror as they lifted Eric off the ground and carried him towards the path.

'Can't we get rid of this one?' one of the Orcs asked. 'Can't we dump him over the edge too?'

'No!' snarled the Captain. 'Venger wants all the children, has something special planned. Bring him! Hurry! And give me that Shield!'

The words registered vaguely with Sheila. They were taking Eric to Venger! She had to get to the others, to get help.

The Orcs ran past her, dragging the unconscious Cavalier along with them, and Sheila struggled to stand up. She forced her legs to straighten and she pulled herself up by clinging to the rocks. Her mouth was dry and she was cold to her core. She had to get to the others. She had to get help.

It was a very long time before she managed to take even a single step. She could barely stand without her head spinning. What was she going to say? Gail was gone! Oh God, she was gone…

Sheila stifled a sob.

And what about Eric? What did Venger want with him? Did they have a chance to help before the Orcs reached Venger's keep?

It was the though of the Cavalier trapped by Venger that finally made her move. She half-walked, half-staggered down the path, heading back down to the river all the time. Each step was an effort, her head was spinning, and she felt sick.

Sheila stumbled into the clearing, pulling the hood of her Cloak back. The campfire was still smouldering and everything was quiet. Had she really been away so long? Had they all gone to sleep?

'Hey guys! Guys wake up, you've gotta come!' she said, her voice beginning to crack. 'Guys, please!'

Nothing moved in the clearing

'Hank, wake up! Bobby? ANYONE?'

There was still no sound.

'Anyone…' she repeated, her voice suddenly soft.

A feeling of despair settled on the Thief, filling her with a chill that went all the way through. She looked around properly for the first time, suddenly understanding the blackened scorch marks on the trees, the broken tents and the churned mud.

For the second time that evening, Sheila sank to the ground.

She was alone.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Hank was aware of the sound of stomping feet and the familiar smell of cold, wet dungeons. His head was throbbing across his temples and down the back of his neck, and there was a dry sickness through his stomach made him stay completely still.

_What had happened? What had happened to make him feel like this?_

One word brought the memories flashing back.

ORCS!

* * *

It had been so easy to let his guard down. They were all excited. He had let them wander as they pleased, not bothering to keep watch. Diana went to explore the Henge with the Rogue, Presto stayed by the fire with Jamie and Sheila, and Eric wandered off up the mountain on his own. Bobby and Uni accompanied the Ranger down to the riverside to get some water, then ran off to explore further upstream.

Hank waited alone for a long time, listening to the tinkle of the nearby water and the low roar from the ravine. It was a cool, bright evening, and it was so pleasant to rest after hard walk. He'd been worried that he'd pushed them too far, too fast. But now they were here, beneath the Henge, with a day to spare.

He smiled. They were definitely going to get home this time.

'Hey, Hank,' called Alison from behind him. He turned to greet her with a smile.

'You seen Gail recently?' she asked. 'I can't find her anywhere.'

Hank shook his head, trying to remember the last time he'd seen her sister.

'I think she was talking to Jamie at dinner,' he said slowly.

Alison scowled, putting her hands on her hips.

'Where's she got to? Stupid sister!'

There was a long pause, and he saw Alison stare up at him, her eyes wide. There was something extraordinarily uncomfortable about the way she looked at him. It reminded him of Sheila. He sighed. _Sheila!_

'Um, Alison, I don't think that…' he started, but saw her brow crease. He should continue. It wasn't fair to lead her on.

'S'ok,' she said. 'You don't have to say it. I know already. You don't like me.'

She said it so matter-of-factly that, for a second, Hank was unable to speak.

'I do like you, but, just, not like that.' Why did it have to sound so lame? What a complete jerk!

Alison sat down dejectedly on a big rock beside the river.

'I knew you wouldn't,' she said. 'It's Sheila, isn't it?'

There was no point in lying. Since they had left the Temple of Love a week ago, his feelings for the Thief had grown increasingly confused. At first he'd felt numb, then just guilty for taking advantage of her. Every time she looked at him he could sense her anger and embarrassment. He had decided that staying out of her way would be the best idea, but it was so hard, and not just because they were stuck together in this world. The truth was, he missed her.

Hank nodded, and sat down beside the Amazon.

'I've really messed things up,' he said.

Alison asked why, and the Ranger told her all about the Temple of Love, the kiss and the Curse. She listened in silence until he'd finished, then said:

'If you want my advice, you should stay well clear of any relationships in the Realm. They only bring trouble.'

Hank nodded once more, but was intrigued.

'Why do you say that?' he asked.

Alison put her chin in the cup of her hand, staring across the river.

'When we first arrived in this stupid place, Pete and I were together,' she told him. 'But it all fell apart. We never got any time to ourselves, and he was always looking out for the others. He tried so hard to keep us going, but I got jealous. We argued, and I mean really, really argued! He didn't speak to me for days after that.' She turned to look at Hank again.

'Peter used to be the leader, you see,' she said. 'Then, after we met some Trogs…'

'Trogs?' interrupted Hank.

'Troglodytes. Nasty, lizard-like things.' She pulled a face. 'You don't want to meet them! They are the worst sort of evil, vicious carnivore that it's been my misfortune to meet in this crappy place. And they smell completely awful!'

'What happened?'

'We survived, just, but after that Peter started hanging around with Lorraine most of the time. I got more jealous, and…' Alison stopped, her lips pursed. Hank didn't say anything.

'Once we were sure we'd lost the Trogs,' said the Amazon slowly, 'I threatened to break up the group, unless he stopped being the leader.'

Hank couldn't stop the look of surprise crossing his face, but Alison gave a small smile.

'I know! It was so, so stupid! I feel terrible, and now I'm stuck in this crummy place with people who hate me.'

'They don't hate you!'

'Lorraine definitely does!' Alison answered immediately. 'I'm sure Peter does too.'

'They don't hate you,' repeated Hank. 'Paul likes you.'

Alison snorted.

'Paul likes anything in a skirt!'

'Gail likes you,' he suggested.

'She has to! I'm her big sister! But all she does is cause problems. She's as trustworthy as Eric!'

'Gail can't be that bad,' Hank said lightly. 'No one is!'

Alison stared intently up at the Ranger and asked:

'You're a good leader, how do you do it?'

Hank blushed.

'I can't be that good, we haven't gotten home yet!'

'But they all look up to you, they all trust you,' she said. 'I'm so rubbish at it! We'll never get home.'

Impulsively, he put his arm round her, and said:

'All of us will, this time!'

Alison's face became hard.

'You don't understand, Hank,' she said. 'My friends are getting desperate.'

The Ranger suddenly became worried. There was an edge to her voice that he didn't like.

'What do you mean? What happened?'

'We, well, we fell out with Dungeonmaster. And he's not the sort of chap you want to get angry!'

Hank was speechless. He couldn't imagine anyone falling out with the guide, at least not permanently. And as for Dungeonmaster being angry…

'What did you do?' he whispered.

Alison looked sheepishly down at the stones.

'That's not really the problem. He said he wouldn't help us until… Well, anyway, we're on our own. And it's not working!' She turned to look desperately into his eyes. 'We can't stay here much longer the way we are. This is our only chance. They're going to mutiny!'

Hank squeezed her shoulder, feeling much more anxious than before. Now he thought about it, the way the others acted around each other was definitely strained. But he smiled at the Amazon.

'It'll be OK,' he told her. 'C'mon, let's go get everyone together. We need some sleep. We have a ritual to practice in the morning.'

From high up on the mountainside, Hank heard a wolf's howl echo across the plains. They both stood.

'Thanks, Hank,' said Alison. 'It's nice to talk to someone who understands.'

'It's OK, I…' He paused. There were faint shouts coming from downriver, the way Bobby and Uni had gone.

'I'll see you back at camp,' he said. 'I'll go check on Bobby.'

Alison nodded and Hank ran off, suddenly feeling uneasy. No one was on lookout; they had all been too pleased with themselves for finding the Henge without any problems. They hadn't seen a whiff of one-horned trouble for ages, not since they'd left the Temple. But he wouldn't have just been sitting around, would he? _Would he?_

Hank gripped the Bow tightly as he ran, a terrible icy feeling in his stomach. Venger wouldn't wait around, not planning anything!

The Ranger rounded a corner, and stopped, his worst fear suddenly in front of him. Bobby was there, sitting on the ground, his helmet half over his eyes. Two large Orc soldiers were standing beside him, and one was holding the Club. There was no sign of Uni.

'HEY!' shouted Hank, oblivious to any danger.

His hand was already pulling back an arrow, but an instant before he released it something huge and heavy struck him from behind. The arrow roared off into the sky, dissipating a long way from the Orcs.

The Ranger stumbled, knocked off-balance, then something grabbed his legs and he fell. The Bow was wrenched out of his hand.

Suddenly, there was a scream of pure terror from upriver that cut through the night. Hank tried to turn, but the soldiers held him firmly. Then he was pulled to his feet, and they bound his hands behind his back.

Bobby was also standing, bound, between two soldiers.

The Ranger gasped. His capture had been so quick and efficient. It was hard to believe the Orcs could make such a good job of it! Barely a minute had passed.

From the direction of the camp, there was a sudden cry and the crack of a Whip. Hank and Bobby were dragged quickly forward towards the trees, the noise of fighting growing ever louder.

The camp was under attack by at least twenty Orc soldiers. Alison was lashing out at any Orc that dared to come within whipping distance. At her back, Peter sent arcs of lightning across the clearing, keeping the attackers away.

Diana was whacking Orcs enthusiastically toward Paul, who was practicing his left jab on them. They had already knocked four to the ground. Presto and Jamie were standing next to Lorraine. The Magician was half way through a spell and the Mystic was using the Book as an offensive weapon, thumping any Orc that got too close.

Hank heard the harsh grate of steel as a sword was drawn. So did Presto, as he turned and gave a strangled cry. The others all looked to see why.

The cold tip of a sword was pressed against the Ranger's neck.

'Surrender!' ordered the Orc Captain with the sword. 'Now!'

Hank desperately wanted to tell them not to give in, to keep fighting and get away, but he could see by the looks on their faces that there was no chance of that happening. Diana moved first, lowering her guard, staring at Hank with tears in her eyes. Peter and Alison followed, then Jamie, then Presto.

The Orcs were devastatingly quick. Within seconds, all the magic weapons had been removed from their owners, and the whole group was herded together into the middle of the campsite. Peter was the only one who resisted, and the Orc Captain hit him hard across the face. The Gladiator fell back, with blood coming from his top lip. The Orc waved his sword menacingly at the boy, and growled.

As Hank was dragged forward, he looked around, trying to see how everyone was.

Presto seemed unhurt, and Diana only had a few shallow scrapes. They both tried to smile at him. Bobby was unhurt too, but kept looking around anxiously.

Sheila was missing!

Hank felt a rush of relief. At least one of them was safe. Then he realised Eric was missing too. Typical!

He looked for the other group. Jamie and Alison seemed OK, but Paul had a long cut down his arm. Lorraine looked shaken, but unharmed. Peter was kneeling beside her, blood across his mouth.

Gail was missing.

Hank suppressed a smirk. The two with the most effective weapons for hiding hadn't been captured. Neither had Eric, the one with the best sense of self-preservation. They still had a chance to escape. He looked at the Orcs, wondering which one was the Harlequin.

There was a sudden scuffing noise and a new group of Orcs with another Captain appeared from the mountain path, dragging something with them.

Hank choked back a cry of dismay. It was the Cavalier, paler than moonlight, his eyes closed. But it was the way his body flopped to the ground that struck the Ranger with horror. Eric looked dead!

Hank's stomach contracted as fear and guilt washed through him, making his head feel light. He'd been so stupid to let his guard down in all the excitement. They were easy prey. It had been a well-organised attack, much better than ever before. The Orcs had known exactly where to strike. They must have been watching them for days.

He gulped. This was a trap!

The two Orc Captains were talking together. The Ranger tried to listen, but could make out the words 'cliff' and 'fall', and nothing else. The Captains didn't seem pleased.

Then there was a shout from the Orc who'd captured him, and all of the prisoners were dragged forward, a guard on either side of each one. Eric was pulled roughly up, and thrown over the Captain's shoulder.

They were made to walk all night, along the course of the river, away from the Henge. Hank had waited in vain to hear Sheila's voice, or to see one of the Orcs wink, indicating that the Harlequin was there in disguise. As the night wore on, he got increasingly worried, and not just about the two girls. Eric was still unconscious, or worse…

Eventually, he plucked up courage to say something.

'Hey!' he called out to a Captain. The Orc turned, glowering at him, its snout twitching in anger.

'What about my friend?' said Hank, nodding at the Cavalier. 'He needs help.'

The Orc Captain laughed in his face.

'He doesn't need help!' it replied. 'Does he, boys?'

The laughter spread round the group, and the Ranger gulped back a sudden, raw panic. Then the giant Captain punched him. Hank fell to the ground, and hit his head on a rock. He tasted blood and his vision began to blur.

There was another ripple of laughter.

'And there's NO talking!' snarled the Captain.

The Ranger's head was ringing. He tried to stand, but everything was going grey around the edges. He looked up and saw the sneering face of the Orc coming closer, just as the Realm went black…

* * *

Hank groaned.

He'd been very stupid. It was all his fault. They'd been caught, finally, and the weapons taken. No doubt Venger was gloating over them this very minute.

'Hey, I think he's coming round!' said a Presto-like voice beside him.

'P-P-Presto, it that you?'

Very slowly, the Ranger opened his eyes. He could make out light and dark shapes, but everything was fuzzy. Shifting position slightly, he tried to sit up, but was hit by a wave of nausea.

'Take it easy, Hank,' said Diana. 'You'll be OK. Try not to move.'

Nodding made him feel sick too, but the Ranger smiled. The dank dungeon slowly slipped into focus, and he saw three of his friends crouched beside him: Presto, Bobby and Diana.

'Thanks, guys. How long was I out?' he asked.

'I don't know, but it was a long time, hours I guess,' replied Diana. She sounded very worried.

'What's happened?' he asked.

'They took us to one of Venger's Castles,' said the Acrobat. 'Hank, we're in big trouble.'

He looked up, very slowly to minimise the nausea.

'What?' _Please, don't let it be Sheila. Please don't let it be Sheila…_

'It's Eric,' Diana said with a catch in her voice. 'He's not breathing.'

She shifted position, letting Hank see the rest of their cell. Eric was lying on the wooden bench along the wall, perfectly still.

In spite of the pain and sickness, Hank forced himself to stand, and staggered over to the Cavalier. Instinctively, he checked for a pulse from Eric's limp wrist, for the second time in less than a month. This time, there was no sign of a heartbeat.

And yet hope didn't leave the Ranger. Eric looked dead, but Hank knew enough about death to know that dead bodies didn't flop around, and dead bodies definitely weren't warm. There had to be another explanation. He drew a slow breath.

'I'm not sure guys,' he said, turning around. 'He must be under some sorta spell.'

The others look relieved.

'You think so?' asked Bobby timidly. 'Will he be OK?'

Hank hesitated. The possibility that any of them were going to be OK was highly unlikely. He couldn't lie to Bobby, so instead he avoided answering directly.

'If we find a way to break the spell, he should be.'

'If only I had my Hat,' sighed Presto.

'If only we could escape,' echoed Diana.

'What about the other group?' said Hank suddenly. 'Where are they?'

Diana pointed towards one of the walls.

'They're next door.'

The Ranger slid gently down to the floor, feeling the need to rest.

'Have you heard from Sheila?'

The Barbarian shook his head, now looking tearful. He sniffed.

'We haven't heard anything, Hank. I'm worried.'

'She'll be OK, Bobby,' Diana said. 'She'll come find us, I know she will.'

There was a cold silence, then Presto said:

'But that's what Venger wants! Sheila and Gail are still missing, and so are their weapons!'

Hank swallowed hard against the sickness inside him. Yes, it was exactly what Venger wanted, and Sheila was not the type of girl to let a little detail like that stop her from trying to rescue her brother and her friends!

'What are we gonna do, Hank?' asked Presto quietly.

_What were they going to do? How were they going to get out of this? What happened if Sheila got caught?_ The Ranger shivered. He couldn't let his worries cloud his judgement, he'd already failed to keep them safe from Venger. He couldn't falter again. They needed him. The Ranger smiled at his friends.

'Be ready,' he said, hoping he sounded convincing. 'No matter what happens, we have to be ready at all times. Sheila will come for us, and we have to help her when she does.'

Each one of them smiled back at him and, in spite of his doubts, Hank felt hope rising. Sheila would come to help them.

Close by, there was a harsh grating of wood on stone, and the sound of Orc laughter. The door of their cell opened, and an Orc Captain strode in, looking at the children with a mocking leer. He pulled out his sword.

'The Lord Venger wishes to see you,' he said.

Hank looked past the Orc, into the corridor beyond, trying to assess the possibility of escape, but there were lots of Orcs milling around outside the door. They would never make it, certainly not with an incapacitated Cavalier.

So the Ranger stood up tall, and walked proudly past the Orc, and out of the door. The others copied his example.

Down the corridor, the group of five were also being taken out of their cell. The Orcs herded them all up the well-guarded stair, and out into a courtyard stuffed full of Orcs. The last time Hank had seen so many in one place, Venger had been trying to capture Tardos! There were hundreds, all watching as the children were guided through.

The sight of so many soldiers was depressing. There was no way the gang could try and run through the mass of Orc-flesh. Worse still, it was very unlikely that Sheila would be able to help them. She was invisible, but even that was not much help against so many soldiers.

They walked in silence down the long, silent corridors, finally stopping in a huge room, easily the size of a football pitch. It was decorated in Venger's usual, austere style, and there was a huge, abstract statue at the far end that towered above an ornate throne. But there was one feature that caught Hank's eye: the eleven separate cells along the back wall. You didn't have to be a genius to figure out where the Young Ones were going to end up.

They were put into their cells one by one. Hank's was the one in the very centre, with Alison on one side of him and Diana on the other.

At all times the Orcs were very careful. Two well-armed soldiers guarded each child, and there was a whole regiment guarding the door. They took their time too, making sure that the young ones were all secured in their cells. One cell at the far end was empty: Eric hadn't been brought with them!

But Hank didn't have long to worry. After checking all the locks once more, the Orcs left. Just as the last one disappeared round the door, the Arch-Mage himself swept in with Shadow Demon following at a respectful distance. He strode into the middle of the room, directly opposite the Ranger, looking indescribably pleased with himself.

'Venger!' Hank hissed.

The Arch-Mage bowed, with a mocking smile on his lips.

'Greetings, Young Ones,' he said. 'Welcome to your new home!' He waved a hand round slowly round the room. 'This is where you will spend the remainder of your pitiful lives, looking at these four walls! The game is finally over!'

'You'll never keep us!' said Hank proudly. 'We've escaped before!'

Venger ignored him, and said:

'But there is one thing left to add to this room. You see, Ranger, I have devised the perfect punishment for you. Yes, I could have killed you, but this is so much more fitting!'

A sudden flash rippled out of his hand, and the Rainbow Orchid appeared there, its colours shining with magic. Then Venger crushed its delicate petals beneath his fingers. Multicoloured fire swirled round his hand in a ball of light that slowly grew bigger and brighter. Finally, Hank had to shield his eyes.

The Arch-Mage threw the ball at the wall opposite the cages. Colours leaked out, slithering across the stonework. It was like watching a mural being drawn at high speed. It took less than a minute to complete, but long before it was done, Hank recognised the picture that was being painted before them: It was the amusement park. Hank could see the ice cream stalls, the rides, and the people walk around. He gave a low gasp.

It was a real portal.

Venger was still smiling at them. This was obviously giving him an enormous amount of pleasure.

'Now you understand!' he said, his voice shaking with triumph. 'Now you will watch your world, unable to get to it. What was it the Dungeonmaster told you? "_Take the Orchid to Recadia, and you all shall see your home._"' The Arch-Mage gave a booming laugh. 'How amusing that it should turn out like this!'

Hank knew that Venger was taunting them deliberately, and could barely control his anger and frustration. But he would rather die that show Venger how deeply this hurt. His nails dug into the palm of his hand and he tried to take slow, deep breaths.

Venger paused, most likely waiting for a response. But when no one spoke, he continued.

'But now to other matters,' he said, glaring at the Ranger. With a huge effort, Hank managed to tear his gaze away from the portal and looked up. Inside he felt rage boiling, unable to get out. Keeping a lid on his anger was so much harder than he'd thought. Every word the Arch-Mage spoke seemed to be specially designed to mock them.

'Sadly, your Cavalier will not be joining you,' said Venger, not looking the least bit unhappy.

'What did you do to Eric?' demanded Hank.

'I?' said Venger in genuine surprise. 'I did nothing! But I will use his misfortune for my own ends. Since he cannot share in your punishment, he will serve better as a reminder to others of the price of defiance!'  
The Arch-Mage didn't say any more, but the look of malicious amusement on his face told Hank that Eric was also in a whole lot of trouble. Venger then turned his smirk on the Amazon.

'Your sister will not be joining you either. She is dead.'

Alison grabbed the bars of her cell. Hank could see her trembling.

'You're lying!' she gasped, choking for air. 'You. Are. Lying!'

Venger shrugged.

'I do not lie, Amazon! Unfortunately, the Harlequin fell from the edge of the ravine during the attack.' He looked Alison directly in the eye. 'I did not intend to kill any of you. Death is too simple.'

The Amazon put a shaking hand over her mouth and dropped down to the floor. In the cage on the other side, Peter tried to move close enough to comfort her.

But whatever sorrow Hank felt for Gail and Alison, he was now terrified that a similar fate had befallen Sheila. Bobby was obviously thinking the same thing.

'What have you done with my sister!' the Barbarian shouted.

Venger's top lip twitched into a sneer.

'The Thief was not captured, a fact my Orcs now deeply regret. But I have plans, Barbarian. Do not worry, your sister will be joining you shortly.' He raised his eyebrow in a dramatic fashion. 'I know that she will not leave you here. And when I have the Thief and the Cloak, our bargain will be complete!'

There was a distinct, chilling pause.

'Bargain?' echoed Hank. That couldn't mean what he thought it meant. Could it?

'Yes, Ranger,' replied Venger, the wolfish smile suddenly reappearing. 'One of your new friends traded you and the weapons of power for a way home!' The smile grew broader. 'So much for trust!'

Hank had to grasp the bars of his cell to steady himself. They couldn't have!

'I know what you must think,' said the Arch-Mage. 'But I have the Contract right here.'

There was a small flash of light and a piece of parchment appeared in Venger's hand.

'Who?' whispered Hank. 'Who was it?'

'Come, Ranger! You do not know?' said Venger triumphantly. When Hank didn't reply he added:

'Then you have something to contemplate, as you await the Thief!'

Venger turned to his Orc entourage.

'Let us prepare the final resting place for the Cavalier.' He turned back to Hank, and smirked. 'He is the one person beyond all help!'

The Ranger finally snapped, anger overwhelming his good sense and self-control.

'You fucking bastard!' he bellowed at the Arch-Mage, pulling fruitlessly at the bars of his cell.

But Venger didn't stop, and his smirk widened as he left the helpless Young Ones watching their unattainable way home.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The suns rose slowly, bathing the land in a warm, peachy glow, but the Thief barely noticed. She had been walking on and off during the night, following the river and the tracks of the Orcs, with no way of knowing how far she'd gone.

In the Celestial Knight's Tower, she'd faced her worst nightmare: to be alone in an endless plain of nothingness. But this was worse, this was a million times worse. Her friends had been captured. Eric was asleep, perhaps forever. And Gail was…gone.

Numb, afraid and close to exhaustion, Sheila travelled with the hood of her Cloak up all the times and jumped at every unusual sound. But even through the panic and fear, she couldn't stop thinking about what had happened, reliving the events of the day, seeing the Harlequin topple over the edge, again and again.

_How had the Orcs known where they were?_ Slowly, the question forced its way to the front of her mind. How had the Orcs known where they all were? It must have been a well-planned attack to catch Hank and the others. But _how_ did they know?

Something clicked the back of her mind, and she suddenly remembered being back on the plateau. Eric was lying on the ground, and the Orcs were laughing. What had been said? What did the soldier say? '_Foolish, trusting Humans, betrayed by one of their own kind?'_

She stopped walking abruptly, her eyes filling with tears. Could they have been betrayed? Obviously, none of her friends would have done such a thing, but what about the others: the Amazon and her friends? Could one of them have been that desperate?

Forcing herself to move once more, Sheila trudged onwards, now feeling a thousand times worse. The Thief didn't want to believe it, but there was only one explanation that made any sense.

She thought back to the confrontation on the plateau: The Orcs had known exactly where they were, they had called Gail and Eric by their titles, and they knew Gail carried a Mask. They were obviously expecting to find them, perhaps they had even been following them. _Quickly, we have to meet the others! We are already late!_

The truth dawned on Sheila. The Orcs knew exactly what to do, and where to attack. They must have been watching them for days. Venger must have known everything they'd done, Shadow Demon could easily have been spying on them!

Sometimes, she let herself remember what it was like to feel betrayed. That day, with the Cloud Bears, she had overheard Hank plotting with the Orcs. The pain and bitterness she'd felt had almost overwhelmed her. Only at the end, when Hank finally explained, could she start to understand.

Sheila hated that feeling, hated having her trust violated like that. And now, someone had done it again. One of the others HAD to be involved: But which one? Which one was wicked enough to do it?

The question hardened the determination inside her: She was going to rescue her friends; and she was going to find out exactly what had happened!

Not long after sunrise, the Thief stopped by the riverside. She nibbled on some scraps of food she'd salvaged from the campsite, even though she didn't feel hungry. There couldn't be any mistakes, and she had to keep her strength up. But there was no way to hide the fact she was exhausted. When was the last time she'd felt this tired? How was she going to help the others in this condition? But she didn't dare sleep, she was too afraid.

Sheila scooped some of the refreshing cold water over her face, washing away the grime and dried tears.

'So, what am I gonna do?' she said loudly, her voice sounding shrill after the long, silent night.

Her voice echoed away, then suddenly, over the sound of the bubbling water, there was a soft bleating noise. At first she thought she imagined it, but it happened again, then again.

Sheila's heart almost exploded with relief. Uni! The unicorn was free! She jumped up.

'UNI!' she shouted desperately, looking around. 'Uni, where are you!'

There was another short bleat, and a glint of white in the shadows on the other side of the river.

Without stopping to think it through properly, Sheila waded out into the river and started to swim. The current was strong, but she somehow managed to keep moving forward. About ten meters from the other side, she touched the riverbed again.

The unicorn started to prance around, pawing the ground when she saw Sheila so close, then rushed into the shallows in a haze of splashes and jumped into the Thief's arms. Sheila hugged Uni tightly, delight overriding her tiredness for the moment.

'Uni, what happened? How did you get here?' asked Sheila wading ashore, still holding the unicorn.

'Meurchs.'

'Orcs, huh?' suggested Sheila. Uni nodded, then waved her horn in front of Sheila's nose.

'You teleported across here, to get away?'

'Myeah,' replied Uni.

The Thief hugged the unicorn again, more to reassure herself that the she was real than to comfort her companion.

'Don't worry, Uni, we'll find a way to help the others. Somehow.'

Sheila rested in the sunshine for a long time with Uni snuggled into her. The unicorn happily ate a little of the now-sodden food, as Sheila tried to think about what to do next, as the thought of swimming back across the river was not appealing now she had dried off. When Uni had finished, Sheila said:

'C'mon, let's see if there's an easier way further down.'

'Myeah.'

Sheila smiled, and ruffled the unicorn's mane. At least Uni was with her.

They walked on for a short while, slowly. The Thief kept an eye on the river, but it was still flowing just as fast. At times they left the riverside, as Sheila preferred the safety of the trees. But they couldn't stray far. The tracks of the Orcs on the other side were still visible.

The initial relief of finding Uni was gone, and the Thief was still faced with the cold, harsh truth. How was she going to help her friends, even with the unicorn's help? Her spirits started to dip again.

What was she going to do? The tiredness was starting to play tricks on her mind. She found it difficult to concentrate, all she could think about were the other group. _Foolish, trusting Humans, betrayed by one of their own kind…_

After about half an hour of walking, Uni suddenly raced forward, back down to the river's edge and started capering around one of the big rocks by the river. The Thief followed warily, her footsteps crunching on the pebbles.

As Sheila drew closer, she realised Uni wasn't pawing a rock, that was a body, a person. For a few seconds she froze, feeling sick, but then it groaned. It was alive! Rushing up, she pulled the person gently over.

She gasped.

It was Gail; Gail had survived.

Her dark hair was plastered over her face and she looked almost blue-white. Sheila remembered the Harlequin's short fight against the Orcs on the plateau, and looked down. Gail's sleeve was torn, and her arm was already starting to bruise, but there didn't seem to be anything broken.

The girl flinched as Sheila touched her, and groaned again.

'Sh…ei…la?' said Gail weakly, her eyes half-open.

The Thief smiled, but inside she was consumed with revulsion and anger. _Betrayed by one of their own kind. _That terrible, painful feeling was there again, just like when she'd overheard Hank and the Orcs. It made her feel ill.

The Harlequin was as likely to be the guilty one as any of the new group! The fall from the cliff could have been planned, or an evil twist of fate. Or it could have been one, big set-up._ Betrayed by one of their own kind…_

'H-Hi Gail,' Sheila managed to say, struggling to find anything to say. 'What happened?'

The Harlequin pushed herself upright very slowly, holding her head. She took a few, slow breaths before starting to speak.

'I think I fell of a cliff,' she replied slowly. 'Alison's going to freak when she finds out! I think there were Orcs and…'

Her eyes suddenly widened, presumably as she remembered what had been happening on the cliff in the first place.

'Eric!' she demanded. 'What's happened to him? Where is he? And the others?'

'The Orcs got them, all of them,' said Sheila bluntly. 'Only Uni and I escaped.'

Gail frowned, rubbing her head.

'Oh.'

'Is that all you have to say?' asked Sheila in surprise. Gail seemed to be taking this very calmly! Too calmly! The revulsion inside her grew worse.

Gail shook her head, then looked worried

'I'm going to be sick.'

Turning away, the Harlequin coughed up a few mouthfuls of water. Uni brayed in distaste and Gail turned back, wiping her mouth with her sleeve.

'Mustn't shake my head,' she said quietly.

The Thief waited with a strange sense of detachment as Gail recovered. The knowledge that they'd been betrayed over-rode her natural compassion. Under any other circumstances, Sheila would have been the first one to rush to the aid of an injured person. It went against every single principal she had, but she couldn't bring herself to help. And all the time, the Orc-voices in her head grew louder:_ Foolish, trusting Humans… Foolish, trusting Humans… Foolish, trusting Humans…_

Sheila was going to say exactly what she was thinking, to tell Gail that someone had betrayed them, but she didn't. What if Gail HAD been the one? How would she react? They had almost never spoken to each other, and the Harlequin had hidden her blossoming relationship with Eric from all of them.

Sheila's heart sped up. Yes, Gail could act. She was the Harlequin, ready to change into whoever was needed. How had she described herself? _The wise Fool: The dual nature of honesty: Quicksilver and Steel._ She hid her true face behind the Mask. And not even her own sister though very highly of her. Could she be the one? __

'We're well behind the others,' said Sheila at last. 'We might not even be able to find them.'

Gail nodded gently, as if her head might fall off.

'We need more info,' she said.

'Where's Dungeonmaster?' said Sheila looking around sadly. 'He must know we need him.'

Gail looked embarrassed and said:

'Sorry, Sheila, but he's not going to show with me around.'

'Why!' demanded the Thief.

'He and my friends had a, um, disagreement,' she said, biting her bottom lip and looking very uncomfortable. 'Dungeonmaster won't help us. We're on our own.'

Sheila paused, and was suddenly surprised to find that being on her own had been so much better than being with one of them!

'Then we should get moving,' said the Thief, patting the anxious unicorn. 'Are you ready.'

'Are you?' replied Gail. 'You look terrible!'

Sheila bristled with annoyance. This! From someone who looked like she'd spend the night in a washing machine!

'I'm fine,' said Sheila shortly. 'Let's go!'

The other girl slowly stood up. She was unsteady on her feet and looked like she was going to be sick again. Again, Sheila wanted to help, take her arm maybe and help her across the stones, but the memory of the empty camp turned her compassion cold. She watched as Gail started to pick her way over the pebbles.

'Myeah?' said Uni, looking from one girl to another. Sheila patted the unicorn again.

'Let's go, Uni.'

'Myeah,' was the sad reply.

They walked slowly on for a few more hours, neither saying more than a few words at a time. The silence wasn't companionable, but that didn't appear to bother the Harlequin, who seemed detached from the situation and content to ignore the Thief. It didn't bother Sheila either, and she watched Gail constantly.

The surprise at finding the other girl had worn off, and Sheila was now wondering how Gail had managed to survive. It was not like she'd just gone for a quick swim. She'd fallen off a cliff and been washed who knows how many miles downstream. Could you really survive anything like that? Was this all a ploy just to get the Cloak?

She silently wished that Dungeonmaster would appear. She needed help, and even one of his riddles would be preferable to Gail's company. But the old man had only told them to get the Orchid and "_Take it to the City of Recadia. Then you all shall see your home." _That didn't help her at all!

Sheila also wished one of her real friends were here, particularly Hank. He would have known what to do. He would have had the courage to confront Gail, and demand an explanation!

It was strange. Even after all that the Ranger had put her through, ignoring her, flirting with the Amazon, Sheila still thought of him first. He was their leader, he was the one they all trusted. She had never truly realised before how had it must be for him, being relied on by so many people; always being the responsible one, always being in control.

She sighed. Before the Temple of Love, they had an unspoken agreement. Hank cared about her, he might even have loved her, but getting involved was just too dangerous here in the Realm. Was it any wonder he had withdrawn after that amazing kiss in the Temple? Had she expected too much of him?

The suns were almost directly overhead and Sheila had long since stopped paying attention to the scenery. She tried to concentrate on her friends, on a plan, on anything, but she was getting more and more exhausted by the minute, and all the time Orc voices were singing in her head: _Betrayed! Betrayed! Betrayed!_

In front of her, Gail suddenly stopped and looked towards the mountains on the other side of the river.

'And here I was, wondering where they could be!' murmured the Harlequin.

Sheila looked as well. Poking out from behind the mountain's edge was a huge, grey castle with two, long spires. It was perched right on the edge of the mountain, and looked down on a large, makeshift Orc-town, complete with battalions of Orcs all milling about. And just in front of the town was a narrow bridge across the river.

Neither girl waited to look at the town or castle more carefully, as both dashed for the cover of some trees. As they caught their breath, Sheila realised the Harlequin was watching her expectantly. The Thief had nothing to say, not because she didn't have any ideas, but she was too busy wondering how the other girl would react. The silence stretched out unbearably, but Gail gave in first.

'Do you have any suggestions?' she said.

Sheila shrugged warily. What would Gail do next?

'What do you think we should do?' asked the Thief.

Gail seemed uneasy with the question.

'I don't know. We need to find out what we're dealing with. And some supplies.'

Sheila raised her eyebrows, surprised.

'Supplies?'

Gail nodded gently.

'So we'll have to be ultra-careful. The Orcs and Venger will be expecting something.' She glanced at Sheila. 'You didn't say, but I assume that the others were taken by surprise, like we…um… like I was. Did you see what happened to them?'

Sheila shook her head, thinking that Gail had not been as detached as she'd thought. This could mean anything; she could be plotting something…

'Well,' continued the Harlequin, 'it seems a safe bet that Venger will be looking for the missing weapons. He won't make it easy to get in.' She pulled a branch down to take another look at the town. 'At the ravine, before I fell, they used my title. They seemed to be expecting me. That means they must have been spying on us, at least since we left Recadia.' She turned to look at Sheila, and there was a slight frown on her face.

Sheila nodded, feeling her heart speed up again. This was not how she'd thought the conversation would go.

'Yes, I think so as well,' she said, not wanting Gail to think that she hadn't thought of that too.

'We'll have to be very careful, what ever we do. But we can't decide until we've seen the town from close up.' The Harlequin waited again for Sheila to say something. Uni looked between the two girls anxiously, sensing the distrust.

'But I need to go and get some supplies,' said Gail eventually.

Sheila didn't move, her paranoia suddenly as acute as before. Why did Gail volunteer to go? _Betrayed by one of their own kind…_

'I should see if there's any painkillers in there,' added the Harlequin with a sigh. 'My arm is killing me. What I wouldn't give for a Boots right now!'

Sheila frowned, unsure what she meant, and unwilling to ask.

'Why don't I go?' she said. 'I am invisible! No one will see me!'

Gail shrugged.

'You don't look like you can make it. I have to go, you don't. Besides I know what I'm looking for!'

Sheila frowned, unable to deny the logic in the argument. She was exhausted, she was sore, but could she trust Gail? Did she have any choice? _I wish Hank was here, _she thought. _He would know what to do._

'Oh, OK,' Sheila said eventually. She couldn't fight the tiredness any more. She was of no use to the others if she collapsed.

Gail pulled her Mask on, and instantly changed into a huge Orc with big, yellow tusks. Uni backed away under a bush.

'Right! I hope I won't be long,' said the Orc.

It turned away, and strode towards the bridge, head held high. Sheila watched until the Orc had crossed the bridge and disappeared into the town. Then she looked at Uni.

'Was I right, to trust her?'

'Meeh,' replied the unicorn brusquely, planting herself next to Sheila like a guard dog, the pink eyes gazing unblinkingly at the Orc village.

Sheila smiled.

'Thanks, Uni!' said the Thief, suddenly overcome with the desire for sleep. She snuggled down under her Cloak, and was asleep in a minute, despite the danger, trusting the unicorn to wake her if there was any trouble.

* * *

There were screams in her nightmares as she slept: The sky was filled with light and the wind howled around her as she stood beside a portal, high on a hillside, one that they had struggled to find. She waited in front of it, looking back to her home-world with a hopeless longing.

Then suddenly, it shattered in front of her sending a cloud of sparkling dust high up into the sky. A towering pillar of light was there, the Body of the True Evil. It spoke, with Venger's voice, saying:

_Foolish, trusting Human, betrayed by one of your own kind? Foolish, desperate Human, alone, and at my mercy! _

Behind her, she heard the tortured screams of her friends, all calling out for her help. They were doomed without her: Bobby… Hank… Eric…

The Thief woke with a start, panic washing all over her like she was going to drown in it. She looked round in alarm. It was late afternoon and very quiet. Uni was still awake beside her. The Thief had expected the Harlequin to be back by the time she woke. But Gail wasn't there.

Sheila spent the following few hours brooding. Could this get any worse? Her friends had been captured by Venger, and all she had for help was that capricious Harlequin! Could she have picked anyone less reliable, less useful? From what her sister had said, Gail seemed to cause almost as much trouble as Eric. Besides, could she be trusted?

Had she made a terrible mistake in trusting the Harlequin at all? More than once, Sheila wondered if Gail would actually come back. After all, why would the Harlequin return? She had the perfect disguise, she could be anyone. Why would she come back? _Foolish, trusting humans, betrayed by one of their own kind._

The day dragged on.

Sheila had eaten all the provisions she had. Uni was worried too, and spent the day close by, constantly begging for attention. It was a big comfort having the unicorn to look after. At least she could trust Uni.

The suns had just set when the Thief saw a lone figure walking heavily through the evening shadows towards the hiding place. She flicked up her hood, and Uni scampered under a bush.

It was Gail, not bothering to use a disguise. The closer the Harlequin got to the camp, the more worried Sheila got. All sorts of different and increasingly unpleasant scenarios played through the Thief's mind, and she kept her Cloak on. Her heart was beating so fast and loud that she was sure Gail would hear.

The Harlequin found the makeshift camp, with no Sheila, and looked around confused. She slumped down to wait. The Thief waited for a few seconds before she moved, trying to keep her composure. Shouting at Gail was only going to attract more attention.

'Where have you been!' demanded Sheila, pulling back the Cloak and stepping forward. 'What's happening?'

Gail jumped when Sheila appeared, but didn't answer. The Thief had the urge to shout at the other girl, but the Harlequin looked ashen, much more than when she'd left, and Sheila kept quiet. After all, Gail had fallen from a cliff the day before. She was entitled to be a little off.

'What happened?' she asked again, more gently. 'Where are they?'

Gail looked down and put her head in her hands. Her breathing was low and rough, as if talking was difficult. Uni crept out from under the bush, her head held low, and cuddled up to Sheila.

'C'mon, what happened?' said the Thief, sitting down. 'Start at the beginning.'

'It took me hours and hours to search the town,' said Gail slowly. 'They didn't have the usual sections, and I couldn't find the medic's tent anywhere. I did eventually find some stuff from Paul's Pack in one of the barracks, and used one of the potions he'd collected. The Orcs didn't seem to want them.'

'The barracks? You actually went in there?'

The Harlequin smiled at Sheila's surprise.

'You would be amazed what you can do when you look like an Orc. They don't ask for passwords! But it all took much, much longer than I thought, the town is stuffed full of guards.'

'Why? Why so many?'

The Harlequin gave her a look that said I-know-something-you-don't-know. Sheila gulped, her mouth dry. This couldn't be good!

'But, then I heard that Venger had summoned the whole garrison to the main square. It would have looked odd, just wandering off, so I went too. Venger announced to all the Orcs that you, the Thief, were to be captured at any cost. He's recalled the whole of his army. They'll be here in days!'

Sheila didn't know what to say. The whole of Venger's army, just to look for her! Should she be flattered?

'What about you?'

The Harlequin shrugged.

'He must think I died, he didn't mention me at all.'

'How can you be sure?' asked Sheila anxiously.

There was a faint look of distaste on Gail's lips as she replied.

'I can't be. But I did see the head of the Orc who knocked me off the cliff on a pike beside the square. Fitting punishment for loosing a weapon, don't you think?'

'Ew!' said Sheila, recoiling. 'That's gross!'

'Anyway Venger was looking incredibly pleased with himself,' continued the Harlequin. 'He boasted about capturing the rest of Dungeonmaster's pupils. They are locked in the castle and the weapons are on display in the front hall. And, as final proof, one of the prisoners was to be put to "eternal torment" as a warning to all who defy him!' Gail gave an angry, twisted smile.

Sheila looked at the other girl, stunned. Venger was being vindictive now.

'Who?' she whispered, suddenly feeling faint. This was the last straw…

'Eternal torment…' said Gail quietly. Sheila's heart was thumping again. _Please don't be Hank, please don't be Bobby._

Gail looked at her, her face expressionless.

'It's Eric. I saw him. He was still unconscious. They put him in a glass coffin and Venger, he cast a spell on it so no one using magic can come near.'

Sheila was caught between relief and guilt, knowing that she was the one who had caused the Cavalier's unconsciousness in the first place. The Harlequin seemed close to tears. Sheila was desperate to know more, but Gail had difficultly speaking. She took another shaky breath in, and her voice wavered as she added:

'Then Venger said, "And in this tomb, he will waste away, leaving a skeleton encased in armour. His pure soul will remain imprisoned within, subjected to a living Hell for all eternity".'

Gail stopped. She was shivering and looked as though she was going to be sick again.

For an instant, Sheila thought back to the previous night, standing against the cliff wall, watching Eric and Gail kiss so passionately. She wanted to hug Gail, and tell her it would be OK, but she didn't. Nothing could take away the nasty Orc voices: _Foolish, trusting Humans, betrayed by one of their own kind._ Was any of this even real? It didn't sound real, it couldn't be real.

'I-I-I don't believe you!' said Sheila, 'Not even Venger would stoop that low. He wouldn't dare!'

Gail looked up at her sharply, surprise and shock on her face.

'Don't you get it? It's a trap! No one using magic can get with in ten feet of him!

Venger is expecting you, Sheila. And it's heaving with Orcs. Venger's brought battalions from all over the Realm. The whole Orc army will be here in days!'

The Thief stared at Gail, her head spinning. This wasn't happening. This couldn't be happening. The Harlequin had gotten it wrong.

'P-Perhaps I should look,' said Sheila, moving to stand. Gail grabbed her arm.

'Venger wants you,' she said firmly. 'That whole farce with Eric was for your benefit, Sheila!'

Sheila pulled her arm away, scowling at the Harlequin. There was a cold silence, as the girls glared at each other in the failing light.

'I didn't think you were stupid,' Gail said suddenly. 'Venger wants you to go to the town, because that's where he's set his trap! With Eric as the bait!' The Harlequin glared at Sheila.

'Why don't you believe me?' she asked. 'Venger wants you, and not just your weapons! You. The six of you. He wants you were you can't hurt him.'

Sheila frowned, still thinking about Orc voices and not paying attention to what Gail was saying.

'W-What do you mean?'

'You six are all that he thinks about!' There was a resentful tone in Gail's voice as she spoke that frightened Sheila. 'He never bothered about me, or my friends! He didn't go racing all over the Realm trying to steal OUR weapons! It must have taken him time to figure it out, but he wants you, specifically!'

The bitterness in Gail tone was clear this time. Sheila couldn't form a coherent thought. She was shaking.

'I don't…'

A snarl formed on Gail's top lip and her eyes narrowed.

'You are Dungeonmaster's STAR pupils,' she said angrily. 'The Young Ones from Earth, the Pure at Heart! Venger wants you where he can keep an eye on you! You are just to stupid to figure it out for yourself!' Gail was suddenly standing, looking down on Sheila. 'I wish we had never heard of you!'

Under the circumstances, Sheila couldn't resist a small taunt. She stood up to face the Harlequin, anger overwhelming her fear for the moment.

'Even Eric?' she asked with a sarcastic smile.

Gail froze, but she blushed.

'W-what do you mean by that?' Her voice was quiet, and she stared at the Thief.

'I saw you together, by the ravine!' said Sheila, pleased that the question had had the desired effect. The Harlequin didn't say a word. The Thief felt a rush of satisfaction, and pressed home her advantage.

'I saw you kissing him on the cliff! You didn't seem too unhappy then!' Gail didn't reply but turned paler as Sheila continued. 'And you were together while the rest of us were in Recadia!'

This time, the Harlequin looked genuinely unnerved, and Sheila knew she'd guessed right. Then suddenly, Gail glared at her, and the Thief took an unsteady step back. This girl, jealous, afraid, alone, not even her own sister considered her trustworthy! Could she be trusted now? What would she do?

Uni gave a tiny, frightened whine and Gail glanced down.

'What do you know about unicorns?' she asked.

Sheila stared at her companion, alarmed equally by the sudden change of topic as the calm in Gail's voice. She waited a long time before answering.

'They are good creatures,' said the Thief slowly. 'They don't like evil, and hate Venger!'

It was a stupid question. Was Gail just playing for time? Were the Orcs closing in on her at this very moment? Sheila almost reached up to her hood. _Foolish, trusting Humans…_

Gail looked at Uni, who kept well out of reach.

'Why do you think she's has stayed with you?'

Sheila knew there was a look of confusion on her face. Gail wasn't making any sense.

'She's Bobby's pet.'

The Harlequin gave a harsh laugh.

'Unicorns love purity,' she said, 'and won't tolerate anything less. Eric told me about Kelek, and his horn collection. You all rode unicorns to escape! You went to their Valley! They would let us within miles of them!'

'You met the unicorns from the Valley?' said Sheila in surprise.

Gail nodded slowly, then looked at the Thief, her eyes blazing with jealousy.

'You are the ones Dungeonmaster constantly fawns over! You are the ones Venger fears! You are the Pure at Heart, fated to free the Realm of all evil!'

'Us?' said Sheila, 'But what makes you think…?'

'It's in Jamie's Book,' hissed Gail. 'It wasn't clear about "how", but it was certain about "who". Six young humans from Earth will free the Realm of all Evil. Six humans, pure of heart and sure of purpose.' She paused for effect. 'Six Heroes, united! Dungeonmaster's best pupils: the Ranger, the Barbarian, the Magician, the Thief, the Cavalier and the Acrobat.' She crossed her arms, taking care not to hurt her injured forearm. 'No Harlequin, no Amazon. No Mystic or Enchantress, or Rogue or Gladiator. Oh no, we can never be heroic enough to compete with you!'

Sheila's heart was pounding as if she'd just run a mile. She could barely take it all in. That was their fate, to free the Realm? Was that why they could never get home?

'But we didn't ask for this,' she said defensively. 'We don't want to be heroes.'

Gail snorted.

'Well, you are! And I still wish I'd never heard of you! We've had nothing but trouble since the moment we started looking for you!'

'Looking?' echoed Sheila, a chill creeping down her spine and Orc voices in her head getting louder. 'You came looking for us?'

'You think it was just by chance that we "happened" to be at the Grove when you were!' Gail laughed at Sheila's look of surprise. 'It was all part of the plan! The wonderful plan to get us all home without Dungeonmaster's help! Let's copy the Heroes! Let's be Heroes too! How difficult could it be?'

She turned and pointed back to the town, saying:

'And now we're seriously stuffed!'

This was too much to take in. The others, they had come looking for her and her friends, they had arrived at the Grove deliberately, was it a trick, even then? Sheila looked coldly at the other girl, all feelings of friendship slipping away. This was all one, big charade. None of them deserved to be anyone's friend!

Uni moved next to the Thief, her head low, also glaring balefully at the Harlequin. Suddenly, unable to stay next to Gail any longer, Sheila made as if to move.

'You're not going to look?' demanded the Harlequin. 'Have I missed something? You don't believe me, do you?' Sheila paused, just a fraction too long.

Gail flinched as if she'd been struck. Then she stepped right up to the Thief and caught her arm again. Sheila looked up. She had forgotten how tall Gail actually was.

'I don't LIKE being called a liar!' said the Harlequin with a snarl.

Sheila shook her head and yanked her arm away.

'I'm going to look for myself!'

'What is with you?' Gail hissed. 'We've already done this part! It's a trap! Venger wants you to make a mistake. Why do you think he's gone to so much trouble over Eric?' Her voice faltered when she said his name. 'We can't help him when he's guarded like that!'

Sheila stared at the other girl. She couldn't mean that! They couldn't stand back and do nothing!

'If we want to rescue all our friends,' the Harlequin said slowly, 'we have to leave him!'

'What!' said Sheila incredulously. 'Don't be dumb!'

'I saw it, Sheila! No one using magic can get within ten feet of that coffin! Venger said so!'

Sheila gave a humph of annoyance.

'You didn't check?'

Gail gave a sarcastic smile.

'I didn't feel like it, in front of about ten thousand Orcs!'

'But how can you sit there, when Eric is…is…' Sheila couldn't continue. 'I saw you together, don't you care about him at all?'

'Less than a day ago I should have drowned,' said Gail, her voice staring to break. 'And almost dying gives you a clearer perspective on a few things.'

The Thief could hardly believe her ears.

'You are an ice-cold bitch,' said Sheila with a sneer. 'You don't care about anyone but yourself!'

'And you're just being stupid!' replied Gail tearfully. 'It doesn't matter if I care or not, I know what I saw! Do you really think, that after all the effort Venger's gone to, he's going to let you waltz in there and set Eric free? That's the whole point of a trap, for goodness sake! We can't free him unless we get the others out first.'

'But…'

The snarl was back on Gail's lips.

'And how would you feel, if it was Hank,' she hissed, 'trapped in Venger's "eternal torment"?'

'H…Hank?' said Sheila, her heart pounding at the name. She would have died if it had been Hank trapped there.

'I've seen the way you watch him!' replied Gail. 'Which would you choose, Bobby or Hank?'

Sheila didn't want to reply. She didn't even want to think about it, it was too horrible.

'Come on!' persisted Gail, 'who's more important, Bobby or Hank! What would you do if it was Hank lying there, but Bobby needed you?'

'It's not the same!' managed Sheila.

'Alison is my sister!' shouted the Harlequin, making Uni back away undercover. 'I have to help her! I might be willing to sacrifice my freedom for Eric, but I can't sacrifice everyone else's as well! Can you?'

'I can't just leave him there!' retorted Sheila. This couldn't be happening, this couldn't be real. None of this could be real. Gail must be the one who betrayed them. She must be, she had to be.

'Oh, Sheila!' said Gail in exasperation. 'You're not listening! I saw Venger's trap! I don't understand, why don't you believe me?'

The Thief was suddenly very tired of being on the receiving end of all the shocks and the insults. She glared at the Harlequin.

'I overheard the Orcs talking. They said one of you betrayed us to Venger!'

Gail blinked.

'What?'

Sheila smiled, suddenly relieved to be letting the truth out, letting all the bitterness and anger out too.

'The exact words were: "Foolish, trusting Humans, betrayed by one of their own kind"! And it wasn't one of MY friends!'

That shut the Harlequin up. She blinked a few times, then frowned.

'You think it was me,' she said eventually. 'That's why you don't believe me! You think I've made all this up, as part of some evil plot? You don't trust me?'

'Do I have any reason to?' asked Sheila. 'You've lied to us, trying to trick us into helping you home. And you and Eric were carrying on behind everyone's back!'

'Hey, that's not fair! If you have been less obsessed with Hank, maybe you would have noticed!'

Sheila felt the anger bubbling inside her, cut by the comment about the Ranger.

'You haven't denied it!' she said. 'None of my friends would ever betray anyone like that! Can you say the same about yours?'

Gail pursed her lips tightly, then shook her head. There was an unnatural calm about the Harlequin now, as if all the anger had just evaporated. Sheila watched her with a mix of fear and pity. Just for a moment, she remembered how if felt when she thought Hank had turned evil and betrayed them all to Venger. It was not a nice feeling.

'You don't understand, Sheila,' said Gail quietly. 'We just wanted to get home, like you. It wasn't supposed to be like this! It was supposed to be easy!' She looked back at the Thief. 'You don't have any intention of trusting me, do you? You never have.'

'Eric trusted you, and he collapsed at the ravine edge!'

Gail stared at Sheila, a sudden look of shock on her face, and she stared for a number of seconds. Then her eyes narrowed.

'Why were you watching Eric and I?' she asked calmly.

The Thief was furious with herself, guilt and panic making her feel weak all over. She'd given herself away! Gail had guessed! How could she have been so careless? There was no point in pretending now, it was only going to make things worse. But the Thief still hesitated, unsure how Gail would react.

'I followed Hank up to the ravine,' said Sheila eventually. 'I thought he was going to meet Alison.' Gail said nothing and Sheila grew increasingly uncomfortable with the silence. Finally, she added, 'I tried to play a trick on Hank, for being such a jerk, so when he kissed Alison, she would faint and Hank would be to blame. I didn't know it was you. I-I'm sorry.'

An image came back to Sheila of Eric and Gail, holding each other close, kissing in the moonlight. Only a few minutes later, Eric had collapsed in her arms, then Gail had been knocked off a cliff and swept downstream, nearly drowning in the process. The Thief shuddered. What a terrible thing to do! She was no better that the one who betrayed the gang to Venger!

'Sorry doesn't even start to cover it!' growled Gail, her voice increasing in volume as she spoke. 'I get to have a boyfriend for one whole day, then someone comes along and…'

She stopped, breathing hard. For a few seconds, the Thief thought Gail would hit her, but instead the Harlequin deliberately turned away.

'It seems that neither of us are very trustworthy, doesn't it?' she said over her shoulder. 'I don't want to talk to you anymore.'

Gail walked off towards the river, leaving Uni and Sheila alone.

-End of Part 1-


	6. Chapter 6

-Part II: The Plan-

Chapter 6

Venger was right. This was true torture.

A thin shaft of sunlight from outside moved across the floor, the only indication of time passing. Hank watched it with an ugly, sinking feeling in his stomach. Was this how it was going to be, forever? There was nothing worse than waiting in these cells, seeing the life of home going on through the portal. He hadn't slept all night, and he had watched the portal constantly, sick with worry and frustration.

He had no Bow, he was helpless, and Hank always hated being helpless, especially since the incident with the Cloud Bears.

Every small noise, every creak and whisper made him jump. Sheila would come; he knew she would. Nothing would stop her! But would she be clever enough to outwit Venger? Would she be careful enough to get past all those guards?

He shivered, and slumped down against the front of the cage. He rested his head on the bars in front of him, feeling his eyes tingle with the start of tears. He'd done everything wrong, he'd let everyone down. Regret filled him. _If only he had his Bow… If only he'd been more vigilant…If only he'd been less trusting…_

In the cell next to him, Alison had finally cried herself to sleep. The Ranger felt a pang of compassion, but it was tempered by the raw feeling of betrayal.

When Venger had first said it, Hank could barely believe that one of the others had bought their way home by betraying them. It was just a lie to taunt him. The Arch-Mage loved to gloat! But during the night, the Ranger had thought it through. And, unfortunately, he'd come to the conclusion that Venger hadn't been lying this time.

Eric's unconsciousness; Gail's death; the confusion; and finally his own swift capture, it all pointed to one thing. Someone had tipped off the Orcs!

Alison had even said as much the previous night. "_We can't stay here much longer the way we are. They're going to mutiny!"_ Which one? Who would stoop so low?

Alison? Peter? Jamie? Lorraine? Paul? Would they have let Gail die?

That thought made him more afraid. If they were prepared to let one of their own friends die then, Sheila was in much more danger than he'd originally thought.

He closed his eyes, and hugged his knees closer to his chest. _Please be safe, Sheila. Please._

There was a rasping sound from the doorway as it was pushed open, and their tormentor strode in, still looking fantastically smug.

Hank pulled himself up by the bars, looking anxiously for a sign that Venger had caught the Thief. But Venger was leading something else.

'UNI!' bellowed Bobby.

The unicorn limped miserably along beside Venger. She saw the Barbarian and gave a small whinny.

Bobby pulled at the bars.

'Uni! What have you done to Uni!'

'Be silent, Barbarian!'

Venger stopped to the side of the portal and clicked his fingers. A small cage appeared around the Unicorn. Its door snapped shut and the lock's click echoed round the hall.

'You will stay here.' Venger pointed a finger in Uni's face as she cowered before him. 'And do not try to teleport out of this cage! You have been warned!'

Venger didn't wait to gloat further and swept regally out, ignoring the children. The door slammed behind him and Uni looked up to Bobby and whined.

'Uni!' called the Barbarian again. 'Uni, are you OK?'

The unicorn started bleating plaintively, and her cries reverberated around their prison. Hank waited, but Uni didn't stop once for the rest of the morning.

At first, he was reassured by her cries, but after a few hours it was starting to grate and give him a headache. Not even Bobby could calm the unicorn and persuade her to be quiet.

Finally an Orc came in, looking angry. It drew its sword.

'Lord Venger says be quiet!' It waved the sword at the suddenly silent unicorn. 'And stay that way, or one of them gets it! Understand?'

Uni didn't make another noise.

'Good!'

The soldier marched out, and Uni watched him intently. Once he'd gone, she gave a contemptuous snort and shook her main.

The Ranger rubbed his forehead, his ears ringing slightly in the silence. Nothing had changed. _Hank._

The sound was like a memory it was so quiet. He must have imagined it. _Hank._

It was the sound of his name, yes it was! He held his breath, desperate to hear it again. It was real, it had to be real!

'Hank, it's me!'

He pressed himself against the bars, looking around. She was here!

'Sheila?' he whispered. 'Where are you?'

She materialised right in front of him, and reached out for his hand. She looked frightened and tired, as if she'd spent the night constantly on the run. He gripped her hand tightly and glanced to the doorway. The door was still closed and no one was around. They had a chance!

'Don't worry, Hank,' she whispered, look round at the other cages. 'Are you OK?'

Hank nodded.

'We are, but Venger's taken Eric somewhere, he wouldn't say, but…'

'S'ok Hank, but we have to get out of here first.'

'Did you really expect it to be that easy, Thief?'

She spun round, letting go of his hand. Hank's whole body went cold, and the wave of numbness almost made his legs give way. Venger was standing just in front of the portal. He had progressed beyond mere smugness, and Hank couldn't describe the look of satisfaction on Venger's face. It made him feel sick. The Arch-Mage was alone, confident that the Thief couldn't get away. It was obvious that he wasn't scared of her in the least. Sheila took a little step forward, and waited.

'I suspected this, Thief!' said the Arch-Mage. 'From the moment the unicorn was found! But I thought that you would try to save the unfortunate Cavalier before coming here.'

Sheila shook her head very slightly. Hank could see her shaking.

'I know the only reason you threatened him was to get me to help,' she replied, her voice high and strained. 'So I'm happy to disappoint you!'

Venger smiled, and Hank knew she was right.

'The Cavalier was a convenient choice,' said the Arch-Mage with a shrug, 'but perhaps I should have used the Barbarian, or the Ranger.'

Sheila gulped, but didn't take her eyes of her enemy.

'It was very foolish of you to come here for your friends, girl.' He glared at the Thief. 'I will take your Cloak, then the Realm will be mine!'

A fireball appeared suddenly in his hand, and Sheila leaped out of its way and rolled across the floor. The fireball smacked into the ground just beside her.

'Come now, Thief! There is no way to escape! Give me the Cloak, NOW!'

She ran again, moving closer to the portal and the unicorn's cage. Hank saw her take a deep breath.

'You'll just have to take it from me, if you can! But then, you are a rubbish shot!'

The Ranger had gripped the bars and couldn't take his eyes off Sheila. Surely she had a better plan than taunting Venger!

The Arch-Mage strode confidently forward, more magic at the ready. But instead of running she stood, her head held up arrogantly as she glared at Venger. Hank smiled, despite himself. He had never been so proud of her before.

Once again, Sheila jumped out of the way as magic rushed towards her, and she stumbled to the ground right beside Uni's cage. She looked at the little unicorn and reached up to undo her Cloak, then pulled the lock off the cage. Uni scampered free.

'No!' screamed Venger in disbelief. 'NO!'

The Ranger gasped.

Uni had taken the Cloak in her mouth, and teleported away.

There were a few seconds of complete silence, then the Ranger looked up at Venger, and panicked: the sort of panic that Eric hadn't even begun to imagine. It had been a long, long time since Hank had been afraid of Venger. But the Arch-Mage was beyond angry and his eyes glowed with a fierce, red light. _Sheila_…what would he do to her?

The Thief was waiting on the floor, looking up in fear.

'FOOLISH GIRL!' Venger shouted, magical energy crackling along his arms. 'Do you think this a GAME? The unicorn will not be able to hide from ME! Why did you do such a foolish thing! WHY!'

He strode forward and hauled Sheila up by the front of her dress, her feet dangling off the floor. For a few seconds he held her there, and Hank could see the terror on her face. At that moment, Hank would have given his soul for the Bow.

With a guttural snarl, Venger threw her against the far wall with all his strength. The Thief hit the wall with a yelp and a crunch, and lay there.

Hank's cry of anguish choked in his throat, but Bobby's shout echoed around. Sheila lay crumpled on the ground in front of the wall, not moving.

'Such a foolish thing to do!' bellowed the Arch-Mage, raising his arms and shouting at the ceiling. 'You have but delayed my plans! The unicorn cannot use the Cloak. She was captured before, and shall be again. You have gained nothing, nothing but my ANGER!'

His eyes narrowed and he was silent for a few seconds, watching Sheila. Then Venger clicked his fingers, and a golden cage appeared around her.

'For such insolence, I will ensure you are punished. I will be rid of you once and for ALL!'

He turned, his long robe swishing over the ground.

'Shadow Demon!' he roared. 'SHADOW DEMON!'

The small, black Shadow appeared from the walls.

'Go at once!' ordered Venger. 'The Orcs will dismantle the town and return to their duties. Immediately! Except Tursh. He is to prepare this room for an execution!'

He turned to look back at the Thief, and then glanced to the Ranger. The Arch-Mage drew himself up to his full, seven-foot height and said:

'However, since the Thief is no longer a danger to my plans, we must do it properly.' He gave the Ranger a wicked smile. 'And we must give them time to say goodbye!'

He turned away and stalked out.

Hank's head was spinning, but there was nothing he could do. Bobby was struggling against the bars, crying out to his sister, but she didn't respond. Her eyes were closed, as if she was dead, but there was a slow rise and fall of her chest that told him she was still alive.

The Ranger slumped down against the bars. That was it. They were finished. They had been in some tight spots before, but someone had always come through, someone had always escaped. There was no one left to help them.

There was never any doubt in Hank's mind that Venger would carry out his threat and, at first he tried to ignore the Orcs as they shuffled in and out of the hall. He watched Shelia as she lay by the wall, studying her face, the way her hair had fallen over her mouth. He had never seen anything so beautiful. What a terrible way for this to end…and he would never get the chance to tell her that he loved her.

Venger might be evil, but he had a flare for the melodramatic that Eric would have been proud of. The Orcs had built a small platform directly between Hank's cell and the portal, so he could see both at the same time. In fact, it was so perfectly positioned it seemed that the Arch-Mage had planned this all along!

The Arch-Mage was toying with them. The preparations dragged on for much of the afternoon. Venger had obviously ordered the soldiers to string it out as long as possible, for maximum impact. Hank grew increasingly anxious every time any Orc approached Sheila, but they all left her where she was, lying by the wall. Time and time again his heart lurched, just to see the soldier walk by.

It was both the longest and the shortest afternoon of Hank's life, and by the end of it he was angrier and more frantic than he'd thought possible.

Then Venger himself reappeared, gliding in serenely. He slowly walked past the cages of the young ones, glancing inside at the inhabitant of each one. He stopped at Hank's cage and smiled.

The Ranger shuddered. This was it.

'You have nothing to say, Ranger?' asked Venger softly. 'No pleading for your beloved's life?'

Hank stared back silently, almost numb with grief already. Further along, the Barbarian was frenetically pulling at the bars of his cell, tears flowing down his cheeks. Venger ignored the young boy. He raised his hand, and an Orc Captain appeared.

'Lord Venger,' said the Captain. 'What are your orders?'

'Bring me the girl, Tursh,' said Venger, never taking his eyes of Hank. The words burned through Hank, the numbness being replaced by a terrible anger. The Ranger couldn't help himself. He pulled himself right up to the bars and hissed:

'If you hurt her, I swear I'll kill you. Somehow, I'll find a way.'

The Arch-Mage raised an eyebrow, and looked mockingly back.

'I find that unlikely, Ranger.'

He turned, and Hank followed his gaze. The cage had dissolved and Tursh pulled Sheila upright, twisting her arm as he marched towards the platform. The Thief struggled sluggishly, but the Orc had a firm grip.

Venger walked slowly forward as Sheila was dragged forward. Her hands were tied in front of her with a silver rope that was fixed into the platform. She tried to pull away, but failed.

Tursh bowed in front of Venger, and pulled out his sword, his eyes gleaming eagerly.

'May I kill her for you, my Lord?'

Venger paused, and Hank willed the ground to swallow him up. This couldn't be happening to them. This couldn't be happening! Where was Dungeonmaster? Why was he allowing this to happen? Couldn't he save Sheila? Save them all? Where was he! WHERE WAS HE!

'No! I want the pleasure of destroying one of Dungeonmaster's star pupils myself!' Venger said. The Orc Captain looked down at the ground dejectedly. 'But you may despatch the unicorn when she is found.'

'Thank you, Lord Venger!' replied Tursh with an evil grin. 'Thank you!'

'Now leave us!' ordered the Arch-Mage. He watched his servant go, then turned slowly back to the Thief.

'So!'

She looked up fearfully at him and stared for a number of seconds as is she couldn't believe this was really happening. Then her expression changed to one of defiance.

'You're loving this, aren't you!' she said coldly. 'But I'm surprised you have the guts to do this yourself!'

Venger growled, his fist clenching instinctively.

'You will soon be silent forever, girl!'

'I doubt you have the courage!' Her eyes were shining with anger, and there was a faint sneer on her lips. There were gasps from some of the nearby cells.

'You dare…insult…ME!' Venger spluttered. 'You…dare…'

Hank stared at the love of his life in utter shock. What was she doing! He had never seen her like this before! The other kids were staring in amazement, and Bobby had stopped crying. The attention of the whole room was on Sheila.

The Arch-Mage suddenly raised his hand, red fire at his fingertips.

'ENOUGH!' he shouted.

Sheila smiled at Venger, a ruthless and triumphant smile that Hank didn't recognise. The Ranger gulped, unable to look away. But out of the corner of his eye he saw a glint of gold.

_The Bow_! It was just sitting at the side of his cell, as if it had been there all along. He blinked.

_The Bow? How…?_

Even after all the fervent wishing for his weapon, Hank hesitated, unable to believe what he was seeing. But it really was his Bow on the ground in front of him.

'I will be rid of you, Thief!' Venger said, and the words catalysed Hank into action. He reached out for the weapon.

'I wouldn't be so sure,' she said in such a confident voice that both Venger and Hank stopped to stare at her.

Then someone else spoke.

'So did I miss anything important?'


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

- He lies still. And he remembers.

_The night was silent. Finally, the noise of camp settled down as the Cavalier's comrades fell asleep one by one. _

_It had been a really odd day. He'd never have guessed this morning that he'd almost drop of a cliff, or meet more people from Earth, or lose a bet with the Thief and end up on first watch!_

_The Harlequin was sitting close by, lobbing little pebbles at a nearby tree stump. Every few stones, she glanced in Eric's direction, her eyes dark and wide. At first he pretended not to notice and tried to concentrate on the watch. But then, after about ten minutes, she looked up suddenly and caught him staring at her._

_He gave an awkward grin._

_'Look, Cavalier,' she said with a shrug, 'what I said to Alison is true. That stuff is packed full of stimulants and I won't get a wink of sleep for ages. So why don't you get some sleep_ _too.'_

_Eric hesitated. Usually, there was nothing he would have liked more than to skip a watch. But he shook his head._

_'I'd better not. Hank would_ _kill me, and I'm not exactly in his good books at the moment!' He gestured to the mountainside behind them._

_Gail smiled._

_'Yes, I gathered that.' The smile changed into a snigger. 'Personally, I think it was kind of stylish…' The Cavalier scowled at her. He'd only known her for about fifteen seconds and already she was making fun of him. 'But you're lucky. If it had been me dangling off a cliff, Alison would have ritually ripped my throat out afterwards.' The Harlequin looked directly into his eyes. 'And I'm really sorry she was nasty to you.' _

_Eric expertly scrutinised her expression for any signs of contempt, but there were none. His scowl mellowed. Maybe she wasn't being rude after all._

_'She didn't mean it,' continued the Harlequin with a sigh. 'She just gets like that sometimes. But at other times, you'd have prance around nude to get her to say anything at all! And then she'd just tell you not to get cold!'_

_Eric smiled in spite of himself. You'd never have to go that far to get Hank's attention! Gail was still looking at him and he scrambled for something to say._

_'Um, how's your shoulder?' he asked._

_'It'll be fine,' she said casually. 'That sort of thing happens to me all the time! I always get the "fuzzy end of the lollipop."'_

_Eric nodded in agreement. He knew THAT feeling alright! Oh no, the others never got turned into Bogbeasts, or grabbed by Zombies, or chased by Lizardmen. Well, not nearly as often as he did, anyway._

_'Boy, do I wish I'd never seen that stupid ride!'_

_'Don't we all,' agreed the Harlequin. 'And I used to think double French was difficult.'_

_'How long've you been here?' he asked._

_Her face clouded._

_'All long time.' She didn't seem inclined to say more, and she was still watching him._

_'You found many portals?' he said._

_'A few. All guarded by some monster, or dragon, or whatever.'_

_She hadn't looked away and Eric was acutely aware of her steady gaze. It wasn't that he found the attention awkward or embarrassing. In fact, he enjoyed being looked at that way. Over the past few years in the Realm, he'd gotten used to the way the two girls treated him: vague indifference from Sheila and ridicule from Diana. It was nice to find someone who listened to what he said._

_'I wonder if we'll ever get home,' he murmured._

_'Well, how many portals have you missed?'_

_Eric sighed._

_'Too many. So many, I've lost count.'_

_They stared at each other in the moonlight then the Harlequin gave him an inquisitive smile._

_'So, Cavalier, tell me how you knew it wasn't Venger earlier,' she said. 'It was good enough to fool the Orcs, so what tipped you off?'_

_Eric thought carefully about the question._

_'I think it was the way you stood,' he said slowly. 'You just looked odd. The angle, the way you turned. It just wasn't him.'_

_Gail frowned._

_'I'll need some tips. I haven't met him that often.'_

_Eric blinked in surprise. Since when did Horn-Head NOT chase kids with magic weapons around the Realm?_

_'We can't get rid of him,' he said bitterly._

_The Harlequin gave a tight, twisted smile. There was an edge in her voice as she said:_

_'It serves you right for being the star pupils! Don't you think?'_

_Eric's composure vanished and he gave a sullen humph. He should have known this was going to happen. After a chilly pause, Gail nudged his arm, her face red._

_'I-I'm sorry, that was a stupid thing to say. I didn't mean it.'_

_Eric half-nodded, not feeling inclined to forgive her and the Harlequin looked away._

_The silence continued. Gail hadn't turned back, and Eric found himself watching her instead of anything else. It was strange to be on the receiving end of the snide comments. And, judging by the blush, she was feeling like he usually felt: really, really dumb._

_'Hey,' he said with more of a smile. 'It's OK. Guess we're just luckier than you.'_

_She looked round at him and smiled back._

_'Or more talented!'_

_It was Eric's turn to blush. The Harlequin leaned back against the rock, her head tilted slightly to one side. Even in the moonlight, he could see the gleam in her eyes._

_'You don't know how famous you are around this area,' she said. 'We can hardly set foot into a town or village without being mistaken for you. You're heroes. Even the damn Trogs knew who you were!'_

_Eric blushed even more. His natural urge to boast was strangely muted at the moment. _

_'Trogs?' _

_'One of the less pleasant creatures we've met in this crappy place. You're the first friendly people we've met in ages. It was all going fine until Dungeonmaster came to lecture us about…'_

_Gail stopped abruptly, and pursed her lips. Eric was aching to know what she was going to say. She must have noticed his eager stare, as she sighed._

_'Well, let's just say we had a little disagreement with Dungeonmaster,' she said. 'And Alison will kill me if she finds out I've even told you that much! It's your fault anyway,' Eric blinked innocently, 'if you hadn't been so charming and friendly then I wouldn't have said anything!'_

_Eric's mind had forgotten about what he wanted to know, as it was entirely focused on two words: "charming" and "friendly". When was the last time those particular words had been applied to him without sarcasm?_

_The Harlequin crossed her arms._

_'I'm not saying anything else about it.' She looked directly at him again. 'So, what fascinating creatures have you met on your travels?'_

_His mind flicked randomly through the various possibilities. Not the Bogbeasts, that was too embarrassing. Not the giant worm on the visit to Zinn, that was just, inappropriate. Not the Roc they'd ridden during his stint as Dungeonmaster, that would seem like he was boasting and she was obviously sensitive about the whole "hero" thing. So that meant he couldn't tell her about meeting the Nightwalker either, and explaining about Rahmoud. Damn it, what was he going to say?_

_'We met a Nazi,' he said._

_Gail's expression was a cross between surprise and confusion._

_'I'm sorry, for a moment I thought you said "Nazi".'_

_'Yeah, I did. Joseph Mueller. He was a German pilot.'_

_The Harlequin's expression hadn't changed._

_'It's not fair to start in the middle of a story,' she said, settling down into the grass. 'Tell me the whole thing.'_

_So he started at the beginning, and Gail listened without interrupting. Eric eventually ground to a halt, just before the part where Dungeonmaster re-appeared. The moons were dipping down behind the trees, and the Harlequin was half in shadow. _

_'Wow,' she said quietly. 'Venger really can come up with a cunning plan when he wants to!'_

_Eric grinned._

_'Not always, sometimes he goes for good ol' brute force. In Darkhaven he just followed us around, blowing up doors!'_

_Gail smiled back, but there was a look of puzzlement on her face._

_'But the Book told us that only Dungeonmaster can open Darkhaven,' she said slowly. 'So he opened it for you, but not for us?'_

_She was looking angry now. And as much as Eric didn't want to defend Captain Shortness, he had to set the record straight._

_'Well, no, not exactly,' he started. 'I was sorta Dungeonmaster for a day. I opened it.'_

_He couldn't look at her. It had been going so well too! Trust him to open his big mouth! He could hear the laughter already. After all, it was such a joke that he had been Dungeonmaster; he hadn't been very good at it._

_'You were Dungeonmaster?' Gail asked slowly. 'You had all Dungeonmaster's powers? That is so cool! What was it like?'_

_Eric paused, still half-expecting laughter. She was looking at him again; that same, dark-eyed stare. He found himself in need of a deep breath, flustered by her curiosity. He'd never been asked that before, and thinking about that day was just too strange. He struggled to find the right words._

_'It was exciting. And sorta compelling. And frightening, very frightening.'_

_The anger on her face had gone. She was looking at him with… was that respect!?! He shivered involuntarily. It had been such a weird day. He'd been nice to Sheila, he'd almost been killed (again) and now, respect! It was almost more than he could believe!_

_He suddenly smiled at the Harlequin, the kind of smile he rarely had a chance to use. She had risked her life to help him up from the cliff-face, and he hadn't even said a simple thank-you. What a jerk!_

_'You know…' he said awkwardly, 'I never really got the…um…chance before, but thanks for saving my life. At the cliff.'_

_Gail grinned back._

_'It's OK, Eric,' she said. 'I should say the same back to you, as well.'_

_As they smiled at each other, Eric felt a faint glow of pleasure. She had a pretty smile. And anyone who could quip in the face of certain death couldn't be bad!_

_She shifted position so she was sitting beside him more comfortably._

_'We've got a long night,' she said._

_As if on cue, the Cavalier yawned._

-There is the click of a lock and the sound of a door creaking. __

_'You should give up, Eric,' she said. 'There's no way you're going to make it 'til dawn!'_

_Eric scowled and stifled another yawn. He could stay up all night too._

_'I don't see why you're so bothered anyway,' continued Gail. 'Don't you trust me?'_

_'It's not that, I just…' The colour rushed to his face again. He couldn't say the truth, she would laugh this time for sure. But he couldn't think of anything else. 'I, um, just like staying up, and talking with you.'_

-There are footsteps on the carpet next to him. Someone is there.

'Sir?' says a voice.__

_He braced himself for the howls of laughter. But instead, the Harlequin seemed completely taken by surprise. He'd never seen anyone so startled at a compliment and she…_

'Good morning, Sir,' says the Butler. 'Did Sir sleep well?'

Eric sits up abruptly, staring in amazement.

He's at home!

Looking around slowly, he sees the burgundy paper on the walls, the red silk sheets on the bed. It looks like his room, he recognises some of the things; the pictures, the books. But there's something odd that he can't put his finger on. Perhaps Mom got it redecorated while he was gone.

He stretches, a faint memory of pleasant dreams at the back of his mind. He's been dreaming about something…

'Did Sir sleep well?' asks the Butler again.

The servant is holding a tray of food: eggs and smoked salmon, freshly squeezed OJ and some brown toast with the crusts cut off, along with a copy of the morning paper. He holds the tray out.

Eric licks his lips. He loved this when he was younger.

'Yeah, th-thanks, um…' Eric looks at the servant. His face is familiar, but he can't for the life of him remember his name. 'Um, thanks.'

Eric shuffles into a comfy position, and the Butler sets the tray in front of him.

'Very good, Sir,' says the servant with a slight bow. 'If that is all?'

Eric nods, still feeling bemused, and the servant drifts off. This is all very strange.

He looks at the food, suddenly hungry, and doesn't bother with the paper. He eats, though he doesn't remember food tasting so bland. Perhaps they have a new cook. But he eats it all anyway, thinking that perhaps he could get the Alfred-a-like to find him a burger later. The unsettling hunger is still inside, unaffected by breakfast.

After he's finished, he lies back, and stretches. He had been dreaming about something, something good, but the memory remains infuriatingly out of reach.

Eric frowns. He had been somewhere, he knew that, but where was it? Why did it feel so good to be home? There was something odd going on.

The unease forces him to rise and dress. He pulls on a red shirt and black pants, and tugs uncomfortably at the collar. Why did it feel so uncomfortable this morning? The material seemed to scratch his skin. After giving it one final pull, he picks up the unread paper, tucks it under his arm like his Father does, and goes downstairs.

It's quiet.

It's too quiet, even for the Montgomery household.

He knows where he's going, but for all the familiarity in feels funny: odd funny. He looks round. His Mom has been doing a lot of redecorating. The front hall carpet has gone, now there's a neat, checkerboard marble floor. The walls are painted a uniform claret colour. It's all very stark. There are no pictures or vases, not like his Mom's taste at all. He shrugs. Maybe she's discovered Modern Art again.

The Butler reappears, with a silver tray.

'Sir, there is a gentleman to see you. He is in the library.'

'Thank you, um…' What the heck is his name? Why does he look so familiar?

The Butler holds out the tray. On it is a card and Eric picks it up: "Mr D Master: Attorney."

Eric shrugs. That's not the family's lawyer. The Butler waits for him to move.

'Suppose I should see this Master guy then,' Eric murmurs.

'Very good, Sir.' The Butler turned away.

'Hey, just a minute,' says Eric. 'Where's everyone this morning, where's Mom and Dad?'

The Butler glances back, but only smiles in reply.

Eric watches him leave, vaguely concerned. Butlers aren't supposed to do that.

But he goes to the Library anyway, and peeps round the door. He stifles a gasp, so many books! They're stacked in impossible towers that reach the ceiling; they are piled onto warped bookcases. There was barely enough floor space to walk across the room. The walls are covered, from floor to ceiling. Books, books, books! Everywhere.

He pushes the door fully open, and goes in, hardly daring to breathe in case the shelves collapse. No one else is there.

'Mr Master? Hello? Anyone here?'

There is no answer.

'Hell-ooo?'

He waits, idly looking at the books' titles. It's been a really odd day so far.

_It must be a Saturday_, he thinks. _What do I usually do on a Saturday?_

He has to think very hard, as if he's forgotten the concept of "Saturday". Finally, he clicked his fingers. Of course, he'll phone Presto. That's what he did on a Saturday, he'd phone his best friend and they would catch a movie, or go to the burger bar or the amuseme…

A shiver of fear disrupts Eric's thoughts, but he doesn't know why.

He lets out a loud humph. Well, if this Mr Master hasn't waited, then what does it matter? He's gonna phone Presto. Perhaps there's something already arranged.

As he goes out in search of a phone, there is the faint sound of feminine laughter from the landing above. The Butler meets him in the hall.

'Can I help, Sir?' says the Butler with a small bow. Eric squints at him. Damn it, there's something about the way he rolls his r's that's so familiar!

'Yeah, I need a phone.'

'Very good, Sir. To whom shall I place the call?'

Eric is startled.

'Um, I wanna talk to Presto.'

The Butler looks blank at the name.

'I'm afraid Mr Preston is unavailable today, Sir.'

Eric frowned. What's that supposed to mean?

There is the sound of footsteps on the stairs and Eric looks up. There's someone else he recognises. She's standing on the second top stair, wearing a long, crimson evening dress, low cut at the front and tight around her hips. Her short, black hair is neatly smoothed down.

Eric feels his heart skip slightly. He knows her. Yes, he really knows her. More than that, he's kissed her! He kissed her in the moonlight.

_That's what I was doing before…_

He is distracted from the thought as the Butler moves across as she comes down the stairs.

'Good morning, Miss Gail,' said the Butler. The young lady takes the offered hand and glides across to Eric. He stares at her. _Gail_?

She watches him intently and his mouth goes dry under the weight of her stare. Suddenly he is aware of her shape, her aura and the sweet smell of roses. She smiles at him, pouting her cherry-red lips.

He stares harder. That's not a nice smile.

'Gail?'

The lady dips her head in acknowledgement.

'I hope there're no hard feelings, Mr Montgomery,' she says. Her accent is different… foreign… English. Eric doesn't reply. The depressingly familiar feeling of embarrassment is starting again. 'It was just a joke.'

'J-joke?' he stammers. His insides go cold. He hates jokes, particularly at his expense.

'I couldn't possibly be yours. You always knew that.'

_Mine_? thinks Eric. _Mine_! 'You're my girlfriend!' It's more a question than a statement, but Eric knows it's true. He can't help running an appreciative look over the curves of her body. His girlfriend! Wow!

The young lady laughs. It's not a nice laugh either.

'Darling, no, of course I'm not! I wouldn't dream of being with someone like, well, like you!'

'I…I don't understand,' he says. She said she would go out with him. He knows, he remembers. He really does remember! They were together, somewhere high, alone in the moonlight._ That's where I was before…_

'It was only magic, Mr Montgomery.'

'Magic? A spell?' He asks, feeling sick again. She nods.

'It was just a little fun,' she says sweetly. 'It was just a little joke.'

'But…'

'Really, you didn't think that I would be interested?'

She laughs more loudly, and Eric cringes, blood rushing to his face. The sound of the laughter seemed to be cutting into him. There are sniggers and laughter from all around and it echoes round the sterile hall. Everyone is laughing at him.

'What's wrong?' she says harshly, 'Can't you take a joke?'

He can hardly believe his ears. She set him up, just to make fun of him, just to laugh at him. He can't reply.

'Oh, don't take it so hard! You've always known: no one will ever want you!'

She runs an ice-cold hand across his scarlet face and walks out towards the conservatory. Eric stares after her, the sound of laughter still echoing round the hall. Eric wants to be sick. He had no idea she was such a bitch. The Butler is watching him, with a barely hidden smirk.

'Is there anything more I can do, for Sir?'

Eric has to wait until the laughter has dies away before he can reply.

'No, I don't…'

'Morning, Son,' came a voice from behind him. Eric feels a sudden glow of relief. It was his Dad. So what if the old guy didn't come through often, he had his moments.

Eric turns.

His Father is standing in one of the doorways, wearing his McGregor-tartan golfing kit, with a number 3-iron over his right shoulder.

In spite of all his better judgement, Eric runs up to him and gives him a stilted hug.

'It's good to see you, Dad' he says, the emotion in his voice coming as a surprise. It wasn't normally good to see his Father. Usually, it was just the prelude to an argument.

'It's good to see you too, Son.'

Eric hasn't been called "Son" in years. He smiles as the older man flicks a glance over his shoulder, picking imaginary fluff off his red jumper.

'Say, who was that pretty littl' lady with the black hair?'

Eric pauses, feeling uncomfortable again. There's an unpleasant leer on his Dad's face. Besides, that girl is the last thing Eric wants to think about at the moment. He's had enough humiliation for one day and the colour rises in his cheeks again.

'That was just someone I met once,' he says, trying to sound off-hand.

His Dad winks at him in a conspiratorial way. Eric recoils at the gesture. His Father never winks.

'She's got a nice ass,' says his Dad appreciatively. 'Bet she's a tiger i…'

'No!' shouts Eric in panic. 'No, no, NO!' There was no way he wants to listen to THAT sort of remark, and from his own Father too! It's gross!

Montgomery Senior blinks at him.

'Sorry, Son! What's wrong?'

Eric's brain has almost short-circuited, and he scrabbles for something to break the uncomfortable silence.

'W-why are… are you not…at the office?'

His Father looks surprised, then claps Eric on the back with a loud guffaw.

'Son, that's a good one!' The older Montgomery looks up suddenly. 'And speak of the Devils, here they are. I'll see you at dinner.'

He winks again, an action that Eric finds distasteful and out of character. His Father never winks. His Father never grins like that either. But Eric doesn't get a chance to wonder for longer than a second. There is a quiet cough behind him.

Eric turns to see five smart Suits, all lawyers if he's not mistaken. They're all carrying attaché cases and thick reams of papers.

'Good morning, Sir. Shall we?'

One of the Suits waves him forward, and Eric goes, though he's not sure where or why. Instinct leads him to his Father's study.

The study is excruciatingly neat, as usual. The big desk is empty except for a single, silver pen. The Suits wait for him to sit down in his Dad's big, black executive chair.

As soon as he's seated, they start talking. They give him a round up of what's happening in the company, he knows that much, but he can't understand half of the words. He tries to make them stop, but they just talk all the faster, using longer words. His confusion grows with his panic.

Then come the questions. They demand to know his decision on this and on that, barely giving him the opportunity to think. They want "yes" and "no", not "perhaps" or "maybe". Eric starts to shake under the weight of the questions.

Finally, they start giving him papers to sign, each with its own complex instructions. He tries to keep up, but the desk that was once so neat fills with a confusing mass of paper within a few minutes.

He can barely control his panic when the Suits start to tell him what will happen if the forms and signatures aren't correct. It throws his concentration completely as they say: He'll be destitute: His house will be repossessed: He'll go to jail: His parents will be sold to medical science: His important body parts will be used to make dog food.

The paper pile grows, and terror takes over. Eric's hand is shaking so much he can't even sign his own name. Sweat is dripping off him, making the pen slippery.

Suddenly, he jumps up, backing away from the desk. __

'GET OUT!' he screams at the Suits.

They stop dead still, identical looks of reproof and disappointment on their faces; it's the way that his Dad usually looks at him. But they obediently back away out of the door.

Eric is still shaking. He is standing against the wall, holding his Father's chair in front of him, unable to let go in case he falls. His damp hands leave marks on the leather.

He stays there for a long time, staring fixedly at the piles of documents needing his attention. He can't get rid of the threats they'd used: _destitute and dog-food_, _destitute and dog-food_…

There is a movement by his side. The Butler. Eric looks at the man, fear and panic still at fever pitch. _Who the Hell is he? What the Hell is going on?_

'A Mr Venger just telephoned, Sir.' A flicker of recognition passes over Eric's face. 'He won't be able to see you this afternoon. I'm afraid you'll have to wait here a short while longer.' Eric nods uneasily. That name. He's heard it before, recently too. 'Will Sir take luncheon now?'

Eric is about to shout: "How can you think of food at a time like this?" but it hits him that he is hungry, terribly hungry, as if he hasn't eaten in days. There is a faint smell of roasting meat in the air, and Eric licks his lips.

The Butler takes a polite step back, then follows Eric across the hall to the dining room.

It is very dark in the dining room. The white of the tablecloth seems out of place, and there is only a dull gleam from the silver cutlery. But Eric sits, the hunger inside growing more painful. It feels like he hasn't eaten in weeks.

The Butler leaves, and Eric looks at the menu in front of him:

Poached Amoran Herring in a Red Pepper Coulis.

Steak Tartar: Zinn-style, with Grilled Tomatoes.

Freshly Picked Kadish Strawberries, and Cherry Cream.

Reading the menu makes Eric's stomach growl in anticipation.

He waits.

And waits.

He needs something to take his mind of the gnawing desire for food. He sees the newspaper is sitting in the shadows and casually looks at the name: -The Realm Advertiser-

Now that's very familiar. _The Realm. _He knows that name.

He stands and reaches out for the paper, glancing at the headline: "Teen rescued from ride horror." There is a picture of him just beneath it.

It only takes an instant, then memory floods back into him. He has to take a firm grip on the table to stop himself from falling. The ride! The Realm! Everything! His heart gives a huge joyful leap. He can't take his eyes from the headline, and his only thoughts are: _We're home! We made it home!_

But then he realises that it's only his face in the picture. Where are the others? He can hardly hold the paper still as he reads the story:

Teen rescued from ride horror. 

_Terror at the Inferno-Land amusement park!_

Indescribable terror yesterday! Five teens painfully mangled to death while travelling on a park ride! Only a few parts of their broken bodies have been recovered so far!

_A sixth teen, Eric Stephen Alexander Montgomery (17), the head of Montgomery Industries, and heir to the Montgomery fortune, survived without injury. When asked about his near miraculous escape, he said: 'It was a close thing. I just knew I had to survive. But there was nothing miraculous about it, as all I had to do was sell out my friends to Venger. It was a small price to pay for life.'_

Eric realises his knees have buckled and he's on the floor. _Sell out my friends to Venger_? His hands are shaking.

'No,' he whispers. 'No, it's not true. It can't be!'

'Sir?' says a voice behind him: That damn Butler!

Eric holds up the paper.

'I-I d-didn't,' he stammers. 'It's not true. I didn't do that to them!'

'Whatever you say, Sir,' replies the Butler impassively. 'Whatever you say.'

Eric jumps up.

'I said I didn't do it!' he shouts at the servant. 'I didn't!'

The Butler says nothing, but raises his eyebrow in an infuriating way. Eric recognises the gesture. It's his classic look when something doesn't go his way. He looks desperately around. This was wrong! He knows it!

_It isn't home!_

'Where am I? What is this place? This isn't my home!'

His voice echoes around.

Everything is changing, swirling and melting. The room fades to grey then brown.

The colours stop and Eric can look round without feeling seasick. He's in a cosy little room, lit by flaming torches. It's surprisingly small, like a box-room, with wood panelling over the walls. There are some furs in the corner and a few books on an old table, as well as a small bed and a comfy leather chair. Finally, there's the faint smell of animal cages and straw, blended with popcorn.

'And that's my cue!' said a gruff voice behind him.

Eric swings round unsteadily. In front of him is a chubby, middle-aged man, with dark hair. He's dressed in an odd sort of suit: black pants and riding boots, white shirt, top hat and a long, red jacket. Again, he's familiar, almost like an uncle or a cousin. A relation of some sort, at least.

The fear inside seems to have shut off all his thought processes and Eric can't speak, he just stares at the man. The man smiles.

'Welcome to Hell, Cavalier.'

Eric's mouth opens and shuts a few times, but no sounds come out.

'Hell?' he finally manages.

'Uh-huh,' says the man, shifting through the items on the table, and picking up a clipboard. He examines it carefully.

'Your places have been reserved, ever since you arrived in the Realm. And you've finally arrived.'

Eric stares, his mind unable to understand. _Reserved?_

'There's a place?' Eric says slowly. 'A place in Hell? Reserved for me, and my friends?'

The man nods genially. He taps the clipboard.

'Yes, I have you're schedule right here. I just need a few signatures, then I'll be off, and leave you to your fun.'

'Fun?' croaks Eric.

'Well, yes,' said the man, skimming a finger down the paper. 'You're due to for a visit from the Chief of Police at six, about murdering your friends.'

Eric takes an unsteady step away from the man.

'Now, now, Cavalier, this wouldn't be Hell if it was pleasant!' He gives a friendly grin. 'And the Dungeonmaster won't be bothering you again while you're here. He won't slip past me twice! No sir-ee!'

Eric shivers. How can this be happening?

'This is Hell?' he asks. 'How can I be in Hell? Hell doesn't exist!'

The man looks up from the clipboard.

'Hell, Negative Plane, Kingdom of Nergal, whatever,' he says dismissively. 'This is a place for unfortunate souls to wait until my Lord and Master decides what to do with them. Think of it as a waiting room if you prefer. Time has no meaning here, Cavalier. Now, I just need a few signatures, then you'll be off back "home".'

'But why am I here?' demands Eric. The man smirks.

'You've no idea how often I hear that! To borrow a phrase from your Harlequin: "It serves you right for being the star pupil!"' The man gives another smile. 'Now if I can just go through the checklist with you…'

He pulls out a shiny, silver pen.

'Now then, you've been a bogbeast?' he looks up at Eric expectantly.

And against all his better judgement, Eric nods. The man ticks something on his clipboard.

'And you've met Dekkion and been to the Tower.'

Again, Eric nods. The pen makes another mark.

'You went to the City at the edge of Midnight.' Another nod. Another tick.

'You've been Dungeonmaster.' This time, the man gives a crafty smile. 'Yes, that was a good one! How we laughed!'

Eric flushes, anger overcoming his fear for a moment. But the man continues.

'You found the Balefire Box and met Him, and you were used in the Warlock's ritual blood-letting. Good.' He looks back down at his papers and Eric feels the sudden urge to make the man eat that damn clipboard!

'And you found the Grotto of Darkness, then went to meet Krin, yes?' Eric stares blankly at the man. OK, so his memories are a bit shaky, but he hadn't a clue what the old guy was on about. 'You have met the Darkling, and Krin? Haven't you?'

Slowly, Eric shakes his head. The man looks very angry.

'What do you mean "No"?'

Eric just shrugs.

'You haven't met Krin?' says the man in shock. 'You haven't met Varen, or Apsu?' Eric doesn't reply. 'But you must have been to Amulree! You must have been to Anshar and Kishar!'

The man frowns, muttering something obscene about non-linear effects and collapsing wavefunctions as he flicks through the papers on his clipboard. Eric stays still.

_Who's Krin? Where's Amulree? And what the fuck is going on here!_

'Ah! Ah, yes! I see! I see!' exclaims the man suddenly, pointing excitedly at the clipboard. 'I had the wrong file! This is still your first visit! How silly I am!' He gives Eric a paternal pat on the arm. 'I should have remembered, but it's so difficult to keep track of things without time to help.' He grasps Eric's hand and gives it a hearty shake. 'So, in that case you'll be going. But we'll meet again.'

'What! No! I don't understand!' asks Eric, thoroughly disconcerted by the sudden change. 'Who's Krin? Where are all these places?'

'Well, it seems you'll meet Krin quite soon,' replies the man, examining the clipboard once more. 'You'll enjoy that one. Amulree is more difficult, it's not one of my favourites. But there's Esagil just before that.' The man stops and gave Eric a suggestive smile. 'Ah, the Feast and the Sentience Ball! Yes, Esagil is very enjoyable!'

'Why are you telling me all this?' demands Eric. 'My future?'

The man shrugs.

'It doesn't matter, the chances of you remembering any details are remote, Cavalier. You can't even remember what you were doing before you came here. Why should it work the other way round?'

Eric frowns, trying to remember. _Gail. I was with her, but she tricked me…I kissed her and then…a magic spell…Orcs…I…_

The man suddenly looks up, as if hearing voices from the roof, and Eric's train of thought is disrupted and forgotten.

'Ah, that's you,' says the man. 'I'll be seeing you soon!'

Eric follows his gaze. He feels the softest touch against his cheek, and a soft, feminine voice says:

_-'Wake-up, Eric. Please wake-up…'_


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

_Sheila had put off the confrontation as long as she'd dared. The Harlequin was sitting on a rock facing the river, when she approached. Gail had sulked all night, and the Thief had heard her crying on and off._

_Taking a slow breath, Sheila tried not to get angry again. She was entitled to be just as hurt as the Harlequin, perhaps more. But after hours of gentle prompting by the unicorn, she had come down to the riverside to try and sort things out. _

_'What do you want?' demanded Gail, staring off towards the half-hidden town and the rising suns, still skimming pebbles across the river._

_The Thief recoiled at the open hostility in the Harlequin's tone, but knew she would have to accept that Gail was not going to make this easy. Beside her, Uni gave an unsettled whine._

_'We should talk,' said the Thief._

_The Harlequin stopped throwing stones and turned. Her eyes were tinged with red, and she had an unpleasant scowl on her face._

_'I think you're very stupid, Sheila,' she said bluntly. 'Why would I think up some idiotic story if I wanted the Cloak? You couldn't stop me if I wanted to take it. Alison's practiced on me often enough!' She gave a nasty smile. 'Shall I prove it?'_

_Sheila shook her head, guessing that the angry Harlequin would love an excuse to exact a little revenge. _

_'Our friends need us,' said Sheila quietly. _

_'I haven't forgotten that,' snapped Gail._

_'We can't do this separately.'_

_For a few moments Gail just frowned._

_'But it's very tempting,' she said sarcastically. 'Why should I trust you anyway? Just because you're one of the great Realm Heroes doesn't mean you're the paragon of honesty, does it!' The Thief shivered at the word "heroes", but Gail didn't stop. 'You've called me a liar and a traitor, but I don't think you are any better, so just leave me alone!'_

_Sheila bit her lip. They were not going to have a rerun of last night's argument._

_'Our friends need us,' she repeated._

_'And you have a plan, I suppose?'_

_The Thief nodded._

_'I'm the only one who can wake Eric.'_

_'That's a statement, not a plan,' she said, mimicking the Cavalier's classic sneer. 'You do know that, don't you?'_

Sheila scowled at Gail, fighting to keep her anger under control. The Harlequin kept watching her, almost as if she was willing her to snap back. A few more barbed comments like that was all it was going to take.

_'When she gave me the Powder, Ellice said that I would know how to wake him, when the time came.'_

_There was a sullen pause. The Harlequin hadn't looked away and her expression hadn't changed. The Thief gulped nervously. It was so difficult to predict what Gail would do next._

_'I just have to know, Sheila,' said Gail, her tone thick with sarcasm. 'What were you thinking? I've done some pretty stupid things, but not even I am silly enough to accept a magic powder from a complete stranger, let alone actually USE it!'_

_Guilt welled up through the Thief again. She hadn't stopped wishing she could take it all back. It was tempting to snap back with a few well-chosen comments about "betrayal" and "selling out to Venger", but Sheila thought better of it. They had to cooperate, for the sake of their friends._

_'It was a dumb thing to do,' she said in a small voice._

_'Then why did you do it?' asked the Harlequin coldly. 'I want an explanation.'_

_The Thief could hardly start the next sentence. How could she explain all the anguish, and unhappiness, and desperation? Hank had just turned away and left her, as if she meant nothing, as if their kiss meant nothing. How could she explain it to Gail when she could hardly even explain it to herself._

_'I-I don't know,' said Sheila with a sudden sniff. 'We'd talked, had tea and dragonberry cakes, and Ellice made it sound so reasonable. I miss Hank so much. He's hardly said two words to me since that kiss in the Temple of Love, and I just wanted to him to notice me and say something to me, anything, rather than just avoid me all the time. I miss him and I wanted to be important to him again. But all he's done since we met you is follow your sister around.' Tears stung the back of Sheila's eyes. She would have done anything to see him smile HER smile again._

_They stared at each other, but the Harlequin was no longer frowning. _

_'And have you decided that I'm trustworthy,' asked Gail, less harshly than before._

_Sheila had resolutely tried not to think about that at all during the night. The Orc voices in her head were still there, whispering. Her instincts told her none of the other group were trustworthy, but it didn't matter anymore. It was too late and she was out of choices. It was trust the Harlequin, or fail. She nodded._

_'I'm sorry,' whispered Sheila._

_There was a pause as the Harlequin stared off again towards the town. Sheila watched her, and unsure what the other girl would do next._

_'Well,' said Gail with a sigh, 'you said something about a plan. What are we going to do? Only you can wake Eric, but you'll only get the chance if Venger has already captured you and sent all the Orcs back to work.' _

_Sheila nodded, unsure how to put the rest of her idea. It was so dangerous that there was little chance of Gail agreeing. She might be irresponsible and infuriating, but she wasn't dumb enough to go along with this. The other girl stared at her, not smiling._

_'You know,' said the Harlequin, 'it doesn't take a genius, or a Wise Fool, to figure out what we've got to do. I pretend to be you long enough for you to get Eric and the weapons. Simple!' The Thief nodded again, unexpectedly relieved. 'I'll need the Cloak,' added Gail._

_Sheila opened her mouth to argue, but the Harlequin cut in._

_'What am I going to say?' she asked, and put on an exaggerated impression of the Thief's accent. '"Hi Venger, I'm Sheila, and by the way I accidentally dropped my Cloak outside, oops!" He's not completely dim, he's going to know something is wrong.'_

_'But how am I going to get it back?' demanded Sheila. 'I'm not wandering around that town without my Cloak, no matter how few Orcs there are!'_

_The Harlequin gave a wolfish smile and glanced to the little unicorn hiding beside Sheila._

_'I have a suggestion.'_

A sudden movement from the town snapped Sheila out of her daydreams and back to reality with an unpleasant bump. She'd been hiding by the river since Gail and Uni left, with nothing but her fears to keep her company.

It was just before noon and the Orcs were starting to leave. Battalion after battalion were filing out of the town. She ducked down behind a thick line of bushes, and waited.

Within the hour, there wasn't a single Orc in sight and the town was deserted. Sheila relaxed for the first time in what seemed like weeks. They had guessed right: Venger wasn't the type of evil tyrant to keep good soldiers lounging around were they weren't needed. Perhaps it would all go to plan after all!

A short time later the unicorn reappeared, looking frightened and tired. She had Sheila's Cloak in her mouth. At the sight of her weapon and Uni, Sheila gave a huge smile.

'Gail really did it, huh?' Sheila asked, patting Uni gently. 'She fooled Venger?'

Uni nodded, and gave a low bray.

'The others, they were all there? Bobby? Hank? They OK?'

Uni nodded once again.

Sheila fastened the Cloak round her neck and pulled up the hood, relieved to be hidden once more. That was definitely the last time she lent it to anyone!

'It's my turn now!' she said. 'Let's go!'

They crossed the bridge carefully, but there was no sign of any of Venger's troops. The town was deserted too. Bits of junk were lying out in the open, as if the Orcs had literally dropped everything and left. Food, bits of weaponry, tools, blankets, pretty well anything you could think of. It was eerie.

Sheila and Uni walked to the centre of the encampment, to the main square, following Gail's directions. In the centre, just as the Harlequin had told her, was a low altar and a glass coffin, all surrounded by a sea of churned mud.

The Thief gave another sigh of relief. There really was a glass coffin, gold trimmed and fur lined. And the Cavalier was lying inside, perfectly still, with his arms folded over his chest.

As she stepped forward, there was a faint buzz from the Cloak, and it's magic started to fade. Uni brayed in alarm, but there were no Orcs left to see her.

Sheila looked around nervously, then pulled back the hood. She walked up to the casket and opened it. Eric looked thinner than usual, and the hollows of his cheeks much more pronounced. A few more days and there would have been just a skeleton left.

Abruptly, the Thief shook her head, trying to get rid of the morbid thoughts. They didn't have time to worry now. The plan was working! She had to wake him, find the weapons and get the others. Simple!

The first part seemed the most difficult. "It depends on the circumstances, when the time comes, you will know" that's what Ellice had said. _But what did that mean?_ Sheila wondered. _And why does everyone talk in riddles?_

She hesitated, frowning at the still figure of the Cavalier. He seemed so peaceful, and she couldn't help thinking of sleeping beauty. Perhaps that was all it would take to wake him. Mentally crossing her fingers, she leaned across and kissed him very lightly on the cheek.

'Wake up, Eric. Please wake up.'

Seconds passed in silence, then Eric stirred and gave a soft groan. The Thief couldn't suppress a wide smile of relief as the Cavalier opened his eyes and looked up at her blankly. Then he returned her smile.

'Hey Sheila. What are you doin' here?' he said, looking around in confusion. 'And what am I doin' here? In a coffin?' He glanced up at her, the confusion mixed with worry. 'Coffin? Maybe I'm better not knowing!'

Eric sat up and stretched, as if he had just been taking an afternoon nap, then clambered unsteadily out of his not-so-final resting place. He looked around once more.

'Say, you wouldn't happen to have any breakfast? I'm starved!'

The illusion of peace was shattered. Sheila scowled at him.

'How can you think about food at a time like this?' she snapped. 'How can you be so self-centred?'

Eric shrank back. Then he swayed slightly.

'Gee,' he murmured. 'I was just asking…I just feel kinda, funny.'

Sheila scowled at him for a few more seconds. It wasn't his fault that he'd no idea what was happening. She gave a small, conciliatory smile, dreading the inevitable demand for an explanation.

'We're in big trouble, Eric and we have to go,' she said, not feeling ready to confront the whole, horrible reality. They could deal with the details later.

'Ah-huh,' replied the Cavalier, raising an eyebrow. 'So what's new!'

'Do you remember anything?' said Sheila, hoping to distract him, at least for a while.

He gazed up to the sky for inspiration.

'I'm not sure. There was a Henge or something, and I left the camp early and walked to the ravine. There was a plateau, then, um…' He paused and a self-satisfied smile slowly appeared. 'Oh! Yes!'

All of a sudden, the smile vanished.

'Orcs!' he gasped, 'The Orcs attacked and… I fainted!' A look of horror crossed his face. 'I fainted?'

He grabbed Sheila by the arm, his eyes wide.

'Gail! What's happened to her? Where is she!'

Sheila hesitated, unsure how to explain without worrying Eric. He would probably go nuts when he heard where the Harlequin currently was!

'She's not here. There was this magic spell, and she …'

Sheila immediately knew she'd said the wrong thing. The Cavalier looked as if someone had just punched him. He could barely speak.

'A-a spell? S-she did that to me? She was laughing at me behind my back?'

The shock and pain in his voice was unbearable and Sheila desperately tried to get him to listen. Trust the dumb Cavalier to jump to the wrong conclusion!

'No, Eric, you don't unders…'

'J-just as well I didn't like her anyway!' he added, bravely trying to sound like he meant it.

'Eric, will you shu…'

'I-I knew she was playing a trick, she is the damn Harlequin and…'

'ERIC!' shouted Sheila in desperation. 'SHUT UP!'

He looked at her, an arrogant expression on his face. But the look in his eyes told a different story.

'What's gotten into you?' he asked crossly. 'And where is everyone?'

That was going to take too long to explain and it was getting out of hand already. The explanation should wait. They had a job to do!

'We've gotta go. I'll explain on the way. C'mon!'

The Thief dragged him off towards the castle, only letting him pause to grab a dry bit of bread on the way. The Cavalier was still wobbly and had to keep hold of Sheila's arm as they climbed the path.

'Gee, who'd of thought a little nap could take so much out of a guy!' he said breathlessly. 'Look, are you sure we can't stop for a while?'

'We've gotta keep going,' said Sheila urgently, pulling him along.

'What's wrong anyway?' he asked, still looking sullen. 'You said you'd explain! Dumb Harlequin, next time I see her I'll…'

'Look, she didn't trick you!' interrupted Sheila.

Eric snorted.

'Yeah, right. How do you know?'

Sheila stopped, suddenly ashamed again. She didn't want to tell Eric anything about the Powder and her jealousy of Hank, if there was any way to avoid it. Telling Gail had been torture enough.

'She just didn't, OK?'

'Well, no, actually,' replied Eric, 'it's not OK. And I'm not going anywhere until you tell me EXACTLY what's happened.'

The Cavalier folded his arms and stood there in the open, half way up the path to the castle, easy for any Orc to see. Sheila looked around. She knew Eric well enough to realise there was now no way to avoid this. She pursed her lips, guilt and embarrassment spreading through her.

'I, well, I tried to play a trick on Hank, for spending so much time with the Amazon,' she said slowly, unable to look the Cavalier in the eye. 'I put some magic dust on him and then followed him up to the ravine, to watch what happened.' Eric lost what little colour he had. 'But it wasn't Hank, and…' Sheila trailed off, unable to think of a good way to say the rest. But she didn't need to. Eric had guessed.

'You put it on Gail instead of Hank,' he said quietly.

Sheila nodded, the guilt and embarrassment now thousands of times more acute. The look on his face would haunt her forever.

'It was supposed to put him off kissing anyone for a while,' she said lamely. 'I'm sorry.'

Neither spoke. There was suddenly nothing to say.

'Meeeeh!' said Uni urgently.

Sheila tugged at his arm.

'So now you know Gail didn't trick you. It was all my fault! But we've gotta go, there's not much time!'

Eric looked haughtily at her. She'd never seen him look at anyone with such disgust before.

'Yeah, right, Sheee-laaa! Like I'm ever going to trust YOU again!' He turned away with a snort. 'What's the big rush, anyway? I mean, it's not like the Orcs actually captured everyone…this …time…and…'

He turned back to Sheila and Uni, looking from one to the other in alarm.

'They did!' Eric whispered, aghast. 'They did?' He swayed, and Sheila grabbed his arm to stop him falling.

'Can you stand?' she said. The Cavalier yanked his arm away. He glared at her, obviously struggling between storming off in a huff and helping her rescue the others. Intelligence and loyalty got the upper hand, but it seemed like an extremely close call.

'So Orcs got all of them?' he asked, still watching her warily.

Sheila nodded.

'But we have a plan.'

'We?' said Eric, taking refuge in sarcasm. 'You and Uni? Phew! That's OK then!'

'Me and Gail,' replied Sheila. 'She'll impersonate me, so Venger thinks he's captured us all. Then I free you when all the guards have gone and we go to the Keep, get the weapons and rescue everyone.'

'That's the stupidest idea I've ever heard!' said Eric sharply. 'He'll never fall for that!'

The Thief shrugged.

'It's too late to worry about that now!'

'And how do you know where the others are, anyway?' asked the Cavalier pointedly.

'Uni knows.'

Eric looked unimpressed.

'Yeah? Can she map read now?'

'Gail impersonated an Orc, and took her to Venger. Uni found the others and then teleported out, with my Cloak.'

'Gail did that?' he asked scornfully.

'She didn't take much persuading,' replied Sheila, remembering how confident the Harlequin had been.

'She didn't?' asked Eric uncertainly. 'Wow, she's crazier than I thought!'

Uni whined again, this time more urgently.

'Please, Eric, we've gotta go. We've gotta get them out before Venger realises his mistake and takes it out on Gail!'

The Cavalier was visibly shaken at the thought, and he gave a quick nod.

'Don't think I've forgiven you,' he said. 'But let's just go!'

They started towards the castle again, Eric walking in cold silence behind Uni and Sheila.

In the end, it turned out to be easier than she'd expected. The castle was huge and dark, and far too quiet for a place that size. There were almost no Orcs, and the few they saw were easy to hide from.

The weapons were lying unguarded, in pride of place on a dais in the main hall, almost as if Venger had left them out deliberately. Eric picked up his Shield and Sheila started to collect the other weapons. It took her a short while to gather them, there were ten, after all. The Bow, the Staff and the Trident caused the real problems, and it was just as well that she didn't have to carry the Shield too.

'Hey, Eric, gimme me a hand, will you?' she asked.

The Cavalier scanned the table, then picked up Presto's Hat and walked off without a backwards glance. Sheila watched him with a sinking feeling in her heart, then gathered the other weapons. When she had them all secure, she followed Eric.

'OK, Uni,' she said. 'Show us the way.'

The unicorn trotted forward and across the main courtyard and down a few corridors. There was more activity here, Orcs were carrying things back and forth, but none of them were paying much attention to anything else. All the Orcs were shuffling in and out of one particular room.

'Is than the room, Uni?' whispered Sheila.

Uni nodded.

Slowly, the three of them made their way closer to the room, being careful not to be seen. The Thief and the Cavalier looked at each other.

They could see into the hall. The 'other' Sheila was standing in front of Venger on a raised wooden platform. She looked scared.

'Let's get on with it!' whispered Eric urgently.

Sheila nodded.

'I'll go give these back to their owners,' she whispered back. 'Keep his attention for as long as you can.'

The Cavalier nodded, concentrating more on Venger than what she was saying. Sheila gently rubbed the unicorn's nose with a free finger and said:

'Uni, when we're both in, distract those other Orcs.'

'Myeah!'

Eric looked crossly at the Thief for a second then, just as she reached for her Cloak, the corner of his mouth twitched into a slight smile. He handed the Hat back to her.

'Um, look, Sheila. Be careful.'

She smiled.

'Thanks, Eric. You too!'

Sheila tucked the weapons under her Cloak. Peter's Trident kept slipping, but she crept slowly forwards, into the hall.

It was one of the most disconcerting experiences she'd ever had. She could see herself, caught by Venger. It was like watching an alternative history. This is what would have happened if she'd tried to help the others on her own. She saw the look of fear in her own eyes and shuddered. Was this how it would have been, if she'd left the Harlequin to sulk and come here alone?

The Arch-Mage was gloating once more, and Sheila realised that they had arrived just in time. Gail was in serious trouble!

They had been right about most things, but the Thief had never thought Venger would get so angry when the Cloak slipped through his fingers. Certainly not angry enough to kill! A few more minutes and they would have been too late.

She frowned. There was no way to get all the weapons to the right people in time, so she headed straight for Hank's cell. He would know what to do. He always did.

The last Orc had just left, and Venger had turned to face his victim.

'So, Thief!'

As Gail looked up, she could see directly out of the door and must have seen the Cavalier as he crept in.

'You're loving this, aren't you!' she said coldly, the relief in her voice obvious to Sheila. 'But I'm surprised you have the guts to do this yourself!'

The real Thief gasped, but Venger didn't hear. All his attention was on Gail.

'You will soon be silent forever, girl!'

'I doubt you have the courage!'

Sheila glanced back at the door. Eric getting closer with every step and Hank's cage was only feet away.

'You dare…insult…ME!' Venger spluttered. 'You…dare…'

Sheila was right beside the Ranger's cell. Hank was staring at the fake Thief in total shock. No one seemed to have noticed the Cavalier.

The Arch-Mage suddenly raised his hand, red fire at his fingertips. Sheila dropped the golden Bow through the bars of Hank's cage and it took him a second to notice. The surprise on his face would have been funny under other circumstances, and he stared at the Bow, unable to believe his eyes. But Sheila didn't stop to watch. She pulled the pesky Trident out from her Cloak. Peter's cage was close by.

'ENOUGH!' the Arch-Mage shouted. 'I will be rid of you, Thief!'

'I wouldn't be so sure,' Shelia heard Gail say.

Then Eric spoke, from right behind Venger.

'So, did I miss anything important?'


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

The Ranger was unable to believe what he was hearing or seeing. The Bow was limp in his hand as he stared at the Cavalier. How the heck had Eric managed it? He had walking up behind Venger, looking unstable but determined, with his Shield on his right arm.

_I have to get outta here!_ thought Hank.

The Ranger quickly fired an arrow and the cage door evaporated. He looked around in fear. How were the others going to get free in time? Without their weapons they were finished. Venger wouldn't ignore them for long.

But the Arch-Mage hadn't looked away from the boy in front of him. The Cavalier had walked between Venger and the portal on the far wall. The Arch-Mage had turned, and had his back mostly to Hank and the others, so they weren't in his direct line of sight.

'I said, "Did I miss anything"!' repeated Eric, staring defiantly up at Venger.

Hank raised his Bow, about to fire at the Arch-Mage. But he stopped. The others weren't free. The moment Venger noticed them they were goners for sure. And unarmed, they were easy prey.

_And how did my Bow appear?_ he thought. _Unless…_

He suddenly looked up at the Thief on the platform, startled. There was something in the proud smile she was giving Eric that told him all he needed to know: There was absolutely no way in Hell that was Sheila!

Heart thumping wildly in his chest, Hank grinned. Why hadn't he seen it before? That had to be the Harlequin. She wasn't dead! She'd fooled the Arch-Mage into thinking she was the Thief and that's how his Bow had appeared. Somewhere in the room, the real Sheila, his Sheila, was hidden safely under her Cloak.

Hank's pulse sped up as he looked at his friends on the platform. They were trying to buy them time, to give them all a chance to get free, to give them a chance to fight. Every passing second gave them better odds of success. He had to free the others, without drawing attention to them.

Venger was still glaring at the Cavalier with such intensity that Hank doubted the Arch-Mage had even noticed anyone else, and Eric was carefully edging his way closer to the "Thief" on the platform.

As the Ranger turned to free Diana, he quickly looked around for the others, his senses primed. Bobby and Peter were both out of their cells. The Barbarian glanced desperately at Hank, and the Ranger pointed firmly to the Club then the cages. Bobby obviously wanted to argue, but he nodded. The Gladiator was already using the Trident to lever open the other cells. There was a huge commotion from outside the room too, and the sound of raised Orc voices.

Venger had taken a stride forward, pointing at Eric, utterly oblivious to anything else.

'YOU! Again you try and thwart me, Cavalier!'

'It's always a pleasure, Horn-head!' Eric said back to him. He was just below the Thief.

Venger gave a sour smile.

'How you escaped, I do not know. But you are weak from your stay in the Negative Plane; I can sense it! You have no strength to match me!'

Eric straightened his shoulders, shuffling ever closer to the platform.

'Oh, yeah!' he sneered. 'C'mon! Take ya best shot!'

Venger smiled with more confidence.

'As you wish, Cavalier! You will not deprive me of my revenge! Try to save her if you wish but I WILL destroy both you and the Thief!' He raised his hand again, and

"Sheila" suddenly spoke.

'Well, there's a little problem with that, you know.'

Venger stared from one to the other. Eric took the opportunity and took a quick step left, so he was standing right next to the girl. She reached to her face and pulled the Mask up, smirking like a deranged Cheshire cat. The Ranger grinned too. He'd been right. It was Gail.

The look of shocked disbelief on Venger's face gave Hank immense pleasure. But the Arch-Mage didn't stay surprised for long, and magic fire glowed in his red-clad hand. But the Cavalier had been watching too, and Eric moved between them, holding up his Shield.

Venger gave a painfully loud laugh.

'How endearing! The Cavalier defending his Harlequin! So be it, you will both feel the full wrath of my magic!'

With a gleeful growl, Venger cast a huge, thick burst of white light directly at Eric.

Hank gave the lock on Diana's door a frantic whack and it suddenly broke.

'Let's go!' he whispered at her. The Acrobat nodded, but she wasn't watching him. Instead she stared at the Arch-Mage.

'Hank! Look!' she said back, pointing.

The Cavalier staggered under the torrent of magic, the strain showing on his face. Hank realised in horror that Venger had been right, Eric wasn't up to it. He wouldn't last for long.

At one end of the hall, Peter had moved to Lorraine's cell. At the other, Bobby had managed to free Presto, and was now swinging his Club at Jamie's cage.

The Ranger pointed at Paul's cage, just beside them.

'Get him out,' he told Diana, 'as quick as you can.'

Eric had dropped to his knees, the magic in the Shield flickering, and Hank knew it was time to act. They were all taking their cue from him. They'd only gained a few seconds, and they weren't all free. But it would have to do.

It was time to fight.

He loosed a volley of arrows, but Venger hardly even noticed. Peter struck the floor with the Trident just afterwards and a sheet of lightning raced across the hall. But Venger still didn't stop, even as it hit.

The magic of the Shield was almost gone. Inwardly, Hank swore. They needed something more.

As he fired another volley, Hank looked for the Barbarian.

'Bobby, let him have it!' he ordered, pointing at Venger.

The young boy nodded, and swung joyfully at the floor, sending a wave of stone towards Venger, who staggered, his magic sputtering. Hank fired again and the flow of magic grew weaker, but not fast enough. Eric had screwed his eyes tight shut against the inevitable.

_NO! _thought Hank. _I should…_

There was a clang from behind him as the last cell door opened. Alison raced past the Ranger at full speed, ignoring the others and heading straight up to the platform. Then the Amazon turned to Venger, the Whip in her hand shining a fierce, bright blue. She swung it down with a howl of anger and an ear-splitting crack, slicing through the Venger's magic. Eric collapsed back to the floor, almost squashing Gail in the process.

Venger took a step back, exhausted from using so much power. A fleeting look of terror passed over his face as he looked around. Not only did he have the all young ones spoiling for a fight, but the Amazon was ready to attack again.

And Alison was unbelievably angry.

'You! Hurt! MY! SISTER!' she screamed at him, swinging the Whip back. It coiled on the ground, writhing like a live snake, it's magic almost to bright to look at. In the single second they stood there, Hank truly believed that the Amazon would have taken Venger's head off with a single stroke.

The Ranger quickly fired another volley and the Arch-Mage retreated towards the door. The Ranger was about to fire again, but a movement to his left caught his attention. Three soldiers and Captain Tursh had come running through the doorway, and were closing in on the other members of the group. One was right behind Jamie as he knelt on the floor, rapidly flicking through his Book.

'Diana! Presto!' called Hank. 'The Orcs!'

Presto quickly muttered a spell pointing his Hat at the soldiers, and two of them disappeared in a puff of smoke. The third had turned into a small chest of drawers (Regency style). Tursh the Orc Captain looked at the piece of furniture in surprise then turned and drew his sword, growling at the Magician.

Diana vaulted over, smacking into the Captain, who was sent careering backwards.

Paul the Rogue raced across, his Pack in his hand. He dived for Tursh, and there was a distortion and a slurping noise, as the Pack swallowed the Orc whole. Paul picked it up.

'Alright! Pa-pa-pack pa-pa-power!' he said with a smug smile.

There was a sudden, harsh shout from the door and Uni came racing in at top speed, heading straight for the Barbarian with a frantic bleat. There was the sound of stomping Orc feet from outside.

Bobby turned, raising his Club ready to make the incoming soldiers eat floor, but the huge door was slammed shut in their faces. Then Sheila, the real Sheila, pulled off her Cloak and stood nonchalantly in front of it, a broad smile across her face. Hank almost melted with joy. She was safe!

The Ranger turned gleefully to the Arch-Mage.

'Looks like you're on your own, Venger!'

'No!' bellowed Venger, disorientated and furious. 'NO!'

All twelve of the kids were watching him, weapons at the ready. They had fanned out in a rough line. Sheila was by the door, with Bobby and Uni close by, then Peter, brandishing his Trident with a smile. Eric had untied Gail's hands, and they stood close together beside Alison, just in front of the portal. Lorraine was on the far side, furthest from the door; then Paul, Presto and Diana were together in a group. Hank was still in the middle, with Venger right in front of him.

'How do you fancy your chances now?' called the Ranger with a rising sense of elation. Each one of the Arch-Mage's taunts was clear in his mind. Venger looked round at the young ones uncertainly.

'You may gloat now, Ranger,' he said. 'But you will never get out!' He raised his hand, aiming at the portal.

There was a cry of despair from one side that made Hank jump. He turned, and saw the Enchantress raise her Staff, bathing the room in a watery glow.

Then no one moved, not even Venger. He was frozen mid-gesture, pointing at the portal. Hank tried to release the arrow, but he was frozen too. His stomach lurched. What was going on?

'Enchantress!' growled the Arch-Mage. 'Release me!'

Lorraine walked right up to Venger, her eyes wide.

'You broke our agreement,' she said breathlessly. 'You had the Thief, but you didn't free me! Why should I free you now?'

Hank felt his insides go cold. Lorraine? The Enchantress? He could see the looks on the faces of her friends. Devastated was putting it mildly.

'Our agreement was for the weapons, not just the Pure of Heart!' replied Venger. 'It is you who breaks our Contract!'

Lorraine snorted.

'You've had your chance, Lord Venger. But I am going home!'

She walked over to Peter, looking up at him with big, dark eyes. Hank felt his own heart skip a beat, sensing the power of the Enchantress. She had never looked more beautiful, or more desperate. The Staff in her hand was glowing coldly.

'You could come with me, Pete,' she said. 'Leave them to their game and come home.'

'That's not our home!' said the Gladiator desperately.

The Enchantress shrugged.

'Anywhere is better than here!' she said.

The Ranger held his breath, remembering the first time he'd met Lorraine, high on the mountainside in the Grove. She had used her power then, and he had been unable to refuse her request for the Orchid. Peter would agree too.

'And you said you'd do anything for me,' Lorraine added.

'How can you do this?' said the Gladiator, obviously struggling to get the words out. 'You can't just leave the others like this!'

Lorraine glared back at him, the spell of her Staff growing brighter.

'I knew it!' she spat, her blue eyes livid with anger. 'I don't know why I even bothered asking!'

'But I'm…'

'No!' she replied, cutting him off. 'Don't you DARE use that as an excuse! You're not the leader any more, they're not your responsibility!'

'I can't leave them,' said Peter, his voice strained.

'But it's not "them", is it?' growled the Enchantress. 'It her! It's always her! She has everything. She's leader, you and Paul both worship the ground she walks on and her little sister trails around after her like a mad puppy! Don't bother to deny it, Pete! I've seen the way you still watch her.'

Peter was breathing hard, his face pale.

'I don't believe you would just leave us here,' he said. 'You can't abandon us.'

'Can't I?' she hissed, a cruel scowl across her face. 'You just WATCH me!' She turned and looked round at them all. Hank shuddered. She was going to leave, regardless of what Peter said. He could feel it.

'I hate this world,' she said, 'and if I have to buy my way home with your weapons then that's what I'll do because I hate you all too! This is all YOUR fault, and you started this because of HER!' She suddenly gave Peter a nasty smile. 'Shall I tell them?'

Without waiting for an answer, the Enchantress looked at Hank and, in spite of everything, he felt his heart pounding as she looked into his eyes.

'The poor Gladiator had just been demoted,' she said, 'thanks to that disaster with those lizard-things. He was feeling all sorry for himself and all worried about how our new leader will cope. Then Alison told Jamie to ask the Book about you. It told us all we needed to know.' She looked round at Hank's friends, a slight smirk on her face.

The Ranger gulped. This wasn't good.

'And then that stupid little man shows up to give us a lecture about Jamie's stupid Book, and tell us to keep away from the Orchid!' The Gladiator had turned a fine shade of red and was looking like he wanted the ground to swallow him up. Lorraine swung round to glare at him. 'You never did know when to keep your stupid, fat, mouth SHUT, Peter! You didn't have to argue with him, you didn't have to challenge or insult him like that! We could have got home without all of this!' The next words were quiet, but Hank could still hear the resentment in her voice. 'But I know you only did it for Alison's sake! It was her first action as new leader, but you just couldn't keep out of it, could you? You didn't care what I thought!' Her eyes narrowed. 'And I realised what I had to do, to get home.'

Peter opened his mouth to say something, but no sound came out.

'I was right, you know,' added the Enchantress smugly. 'You were all wrong and I was right! I'd always told you, we should never have trusted Dungeonmaster in the first place. So let him get his precious "star pupils" out of this! After all, they're the only ones he cares about!'

'That's not true,' said Peter finally. 'Please. We're all in the same boat.'

'But I'm not anymore!' she snapped. 'I've jumped ship and there's no way I'm going to jump back! It was a stupid idea anyway, trying to copy THEM!' She gestured at Hank with her Staff.

'But…'

'You believe what the Book says?' she said bitterly. 'You think only Heroes make it home? Well, I'm not waiting around to find out!'

'But…'

'I've had enough!' she hissed. 'I'm leaving and you can't stop me!' She glared venomously round at them all. 'You can all stay here and fight it out, like the mindless pawns of Dungeonmaster that you are.'

She turned.

'Lorraine, no!' shouted Peter. 'Don't go!'

The Enchantress walked towards the portal, and stepped through, without looking back. The portal zipped shut behind her, and there was nothing but an empty wall.

The instant she was gone, her magic stopped, and everyone could move again. Hank felt like he'd been punched in the stomach. And if he felt devastated and betrayed, how would Lorraine's companions feel?

Paul and Jamie had identical looks of disbelief on their faces. Eric had put his arm round Gail, and she had turned into his shoulder to hide her expression. Alison's eyes were bright with tears, but the anger she'd shown before was nothing compared to how furious she looked now.

Peter had covered his eyes with his hand, leaning on his weapon. Then he slowly turned to glare at Venger.

'What did you do to her?' he demanded, lifting the Trident to point it at the Arch-Mage. Venger paused, the arrogant smirk back on his face. He looked round at the shocked children.

'I did nothing to the Enchantress,' he said, enjoying the effect of every single word he spoke. 'Her own jealousy drove her to me. She told me of your plan to find the Pure of Heart, so I offered her a way home in exchange for your lives and weapons. It was I she met with in Recadia. And then she lead you to my trap at the Henge of Stones, as I had instructed her.' The smile turned particularly unpleasant. 'Why else do you think she did not use her powers then?'

Peter was shaking.

'That can't be true, she would never…'

There was a loud snort from the Arch-Mage.

'You are a fool, Gladiator! She despised you, all of you!'

Venger looked smugly round at the other children. The seething anger inside Hank was ready to burst out. The Arch-Mage deserved everything they could dish out at him, and more! He had been going to execute Sheila, just to see the looks on their faces. He had tormented Eric, he had thought he'd killed Gail; he had taunted and teased them all past rational behaviour. They were going to give him a Banishing he would remember for a very, very, VERY long time! Hank raised his Bow.

'Let him have it!' he shouted.

The instant the words left the Ranger's mouth, Venger laughed. Red and blue shards of magic went flying out in all directions, imbedding themselves in the walls of the building. Then there was a pulse of light and smoke.

Hank stared in disbelief at where the Arch-Mage had been. Venger had gone! He'd turned tail and gone! The anger and frustration inside was still there, and the Ranger fought the urge to shout, or swear, or loose off a volley of arrows. Then the room began to shake and Hank suddenly realised what Venger had done.

'The whole place is gonna go!' he shouted, spinning round. Chunks of masonry started to fall all around them. 'Bobby, an exit! Quick!'

The Barbarian rushed up to the wall opposite the door as took a swing. Dim, red sunlight flooded through.

'Everybody, let's go!' shouted Hank.

Bobby was out first, with the unicorn racing ahead. Huge, dark cracks appeared in the walls. Presto and Diana ran out, then Jamie, then Paul. Eric had taken Gail's hand, and was protecting her with his Shield. Alison ran behind them. Sheila dashed past, giving the Ranger a fleeting but beautiful smile.

Peter stopped by Hank to make sure everyone was out, and the Ranger could see he was shaking. The Gladiator paused and took one final, pained glance back to where the portal had been, then ran out of the castle.

The Ranger followed, just as the last piece of ceiling crashed to the floor.

* * *

They ran, down the path and past the town. The Thief looked back anxiously, desperate to make sure the Ranger was OK. 

The rest of the castle started to crumble and collapse, but Sheila saw the Gladiator jump down, then Hank followed. Above him, a dark, vaporous image of Venger floated upwards to block out the sunset. Then, slowly, it drifted away.

Sheila gave a huge sigh of relief and turned to hug her brother again, more surprised than relieved. They had done it! They weren't home, but they were free. _Wasn't it always the same?_

She frowned, remembering Gail's words. They were fated to free the Realm of all evil. Were they really going to do that? Did that mean they couldn't get home unless they did? Were they really the Heroes the Realm needed? Lorraine had said the same thing before she left.

At the thought of the Enchantress, Sheila shuddered. Now she knew: the Enchantress was the one who betrayed them, and betrayed her own friends too. Lorraine had gone home, leaving her friends behind, all because she was jealous.

Jealousy. Now that was an emotion she could relate to. Her jealousy of Alison had nearly gotten the Harlequin killed, and Eric almost turned into a skeleton. And what would have happened if she hadn't found Gail?

Sheila shuddered again, remembering the image of herself, stuck on the platform in front of Venger. That was not something she would ever forget. Her jealousy had caused a lot of problems. There was a good chance Eric would never forgive her for setting him up, even if he hadn't really been one the prank had been intended for. He despised being laughed at. Guilt rose in her chest once more, coupled with fear. And what if he told the others? They would never trust her again.

Her brother had raced off chasing after Uni, who went to meet Jamie and Paul as they crossed the bridge. Sheila waited for Eric. The Cavalier watched her without expression, then stopped beside her, not saying a word.

'Eric, I want to say I'm sorry,' she whispered. An angry sneer crossed his face and, for a moment, she thought he would tell her exactly where to put the apology. But after a long pause, the Cavalier managed a thin smile.

'In-fighting and holding grudges won't help any of us,' he said softly. 'I think that lesson's pretty clear. And we're all out safely, with weapons.' He drew a deep breath. 'Do me a big favour. Next time, don't get me involved.'

Sheila smiled back, and pursed her lips. She had no right to ask, but…

'Will you do me a favour? Please don't tell the others the truth, about the Powder? Please let me explain to Hank in my own time.'

Again, Eric didn't reply for a while, but he eventually nodded once more.

'I'll make something up,' he said with a heavy sigh. 'Hey, I'll just blame Venger. Everyone usually does!'

'Thanks, Eric. I know I can trust you.'

'That's not what you thought a few days ago,' said Eric with a classic Cavalier smirk.

Sheila flushed. She should have known he wasn't going to make this easy!

'Well, I was wrong,' she said. 'You are reliable, and you definitely can keep a secret.'

'When I want to,' he corrected with a wistful smile, glancing at Gail.

Sheila nodded, looking round at the Harlequin as she walked arm in arm with her sister. Gail might be irresponsible and annoying, but there weren't many people in this Realm who had the nerve (or the stupidity) to pull off a stunt like that one!

'I told you, stop making such a fuss,' Sheila heard her say. 'Alison, my arm is fine and so is the rest of me. Don't fuss!'

'But he threw you against a wall!' replied her sister.

'I was pretending. Honestly, I am fine.'

'But Venger said you fell off the ravine! He said you were dead!'

This time, Gail laughed.

'He thought I didn't know how to fall!'

Alison looked startled then they laughed together, as if sharing a private joke.

'But he almost executed you!' persisted the Amazon, the smile still on her face.

Gail gave a dismissive wave.

'We knew what we were doing; it was easy! I knew the group's resident Knight-in-Shining-Armour was around, somewhere!' She turned, looking round, and her gaze resting slightly too long on Eric before she said:

'But you cut it a bit too fine for my liking, Sheila!'

The Thief blushed, but gave Gail a conspiratorial smile. It was only fair. If they wanted to keep it a secret, they should be able to. She owed them that.

'Yeah, Sheila,' said Presto from somewhere in front. 'You gonna tell us what happened?'

The Thief glanced at the Cavalier, her eyebrows raised, then waved him forward with a flourish.

'I think I'll let you explain?'

The Cavalier grinned and sped up, looking pleased at the opportunity for boasting.

'Well, I'm glad you asked that, Presto!' he said loudly, clapping the Magician on the back. 'Where SHOULD I begin!'

'Why were you unconscious?' asked Diana. 'And how did you wake up?'

'That's a very good question,' he said, his dramatic nature taking over. 'But that's not the real…'

Sheila ignored them, not caring what sort of story Eric made up. He wasn't going to tell them about Gail that was for sure! He would rather die than admit to the others that he had been caught kissing her; he'd get the teasing of the century if they found out!

Instead, the Thief paused, looking back across the river towards the Orc garrison. That town, it was full of goodies. They couldn't pass up an opportunity like that.

Sheila turned to say something to the others, but Hank was suddenly right behind her, standing very close. She caught her breath in surprise, and felt her cheeks burn scarlet as she looked up into those gorgeous, pale-blue eyes. But the guilt inside her wouldn't let her just enjoy his closeness. She had to tell him the truth, even if he hated her. She should never have been so stupid.

'Hank, I have to tell you something,' she blurted out. 'I've done something really dumb. This is all my fault.'

To her complete surprise, Hank nodded.

'You had something to do with the spell on Eric.'

It was a statement, not a question and Sheila couldn't speak. _How do he know?_ The Ranger glanced at the Cavalier, as he was busy showing off to Presto and Diana.

'I've been watching you,' said Hank. 'I was watching when you talked to him and I saw the look on his face. You apologised, didn't you?'

The Thief managed a weak nod. He'd seen right through her, he hated her, he had to. But he smiled. Then the Ranger brushed his finger against her lips to stop her from saying anything. Sheila felt her knees go weak. The thought of anything else instantly disappeared.

'It doesn't matter what you did,' he said quietly, 'because now I understand something much, much more important. When I though Venger had hurt you, I realised I'd made a terrible mistake.' His voice wavered as he spoke. 'Seeing you lying there, and being unable to help when he hurt you was the worst thing I've ever felt. I would kill anyone who ever hurt you, Sheila.'

They looked at each other intently. The Thief wanted to say something, but found it impossible to breathe, let alone speak.

'I'm so sorry,' he said. 'I'm sorry I took advantage of you in the Temple. I'm sorry I turned my back on you. I don't know if you can forgive me for hurting you like that.' He raised a hand to remove a lock of hair from her cheek. 'And I shouldn't have pretended that nothing was wrong. I'm so sorry.'

Sheila caught his hand, tears starting in the corners of her eyes.

'When you just walked away from me,' she replied, 'after the Temple, I thought you didn't like me anymore, that I wasn't good enough for you. Then you shut me out, and hardly even spoke to me. I thought you didn't like me, that I'd done something wrong.'

Hank gripped her hand tightly.

'It was never that, Sheila. Please believe me. But you know nothing can happen while we're trapped in the Realm. We can't be together until we get home. I'm the leader, and we can't get involved the way I want. Just look at what happened to the others: Alison and Peter, Peter and Lorraine. It's too much of a strain.'

Sheila nodded.

'I understand, Hank. I really do.'

He smiled, the 'special' smile, and relief rushed through her.

'We could go back to how it was before,' she suggested. He was still gripping her hand, and all Sheila could think of was how beautiful his eyes were. Hank shook his head.

'But I can't now, not like that. I want you to know.'

'What do you mean?' she asked anxiously.

He leaned forward to whisper in her ear.

'I love you.'

For a few seconds she was unable to reply, the words just couldn't come out, she couldn't breathe. She could hardly stand…

'Greetings to you all, my pupils.'

'Dungeonmaster!' chorused Bobby and Presto in surprise.

'Impeccable timing as usual,' said Eric sourly as the eleven children gathered round. And for once, Sheila agreed with him. She had to hang on to Hank's arm to keep standing.

Dungeonmaster smiled at them, but all his attention was given to the other group. He bowed once more.

'Greetings, young ones.'

There was an embarrassed pause, as Alison looked round at her friends. Then she knelt down in front of the old man so she could look him in the eye.

'You were right, Dungeonmaster,' she said. 'I should have been a better leader, and we should have listened to you. I-I'm sorry.'

She hung her head, and the other four all did the same.

'Jealousy is a terrible thing, my pupils,' said Dungeonmaster sadly. 'But now you understand the truth.'

Alison nodded as she stood, and Peter put his hand on her shoulder.

'It's my fault,' he said. 'And I should be the one who apologises. I started all this.'

'There is enough blame for all to share, Gladiator!' said Dungeonmaster with the ghost of a smile. 'And those who are trapped in this Realm must shoulder the burden of survival. There is a place in this world for each of you; and sometimes a purpose that you cannot understand.'

The Dungeonmaster looked to Hank and Sheila.

'But now is not the time for these things,' he said. 'Soon you must say goodbye for the time being and go your separate ways. But the friendships made through these trials will last a lifetime.'

He smiled deviously at the Thief.

'And I believe you were about to make a suggestion?'

She blinked rapidly as everyone turned to look at her. There had been something, in the back of her mind, but then Hank had taken her arm and…Her heart quickened, and she blushed again. What had she been thinking?

'The town!' she said with a gasp, relieved to remember. 'We should all go and salvage what we can from the town. I saw some neat stuff when I was there earlier. It'll take a while, but it will be worth it, won't it Hank?'

The Ranger nodded, but looked surprised.

'We should get some supplies in,' agreed Paul, opening up the Pack. 'Venger took all our things out. And does anyone need an Orc, by the way?'

'Well, Gail can't go,' said Alison protectively. 'She's done enough.'

Gail opened her mouth to argue, but Eric interrupted.

'And I'm not going anywhere until I've had a decent rest!' he said with a sulky scowl. 'I've had a very tiring day!' Sheila was sure she was the only one who saw the charged look that passed between the Cavalier and the Harlequin.

'Yet your idea is a sound one, Thief,' said Dungeonmaster, his eyes twinkling. 'The abandoned town is a valuable resource for you. This opportunity should not be passed by. So leave the Harlequin and Cavalier to rest, and go!'

It didn't take more of a prompt than that. Alison fussed over her sister, who strangely didn't complain this time; then she walked beside Peter back across the bridge to the town. Uni trotted along between Bobby and Jamie with her head held high, and Diana, Paul and Presto walked behind.

Eric watched them leave and sat down a discrete distance from Gail, not even looking at her. But he was grinning. He waved lazily at Sheila as she and Hank walked off beside Dungeonmaster, then gave a huge, fake yawn.

'Thanks, Dungeonmaster,' said Sheila as they approached the empty town. The old man smiled once more.

'Let it never be said that I do not know when to disappear!' he replied, and gave her a slight bow. 'You have done well, Thief, you and the Harlequin both. Be sure to take the time to enjoy the rewards of success.'

Sheila gave a small giggle. The town was big, and would take a long time to search properly, at least a few hours. Privacy was in short supply in the Realm but for the next while she could have Hank all to herself. She had glanced round at the Ranger, and he was frowning in confusion. By the time she looked back, Dungeonmaster had gone.

'What was all that about?' asked the Ranger.

'Nothing! Don't worry about it!' replied Sheila, still giggling.

Hank looked back, still worried.

'Do you reckon those two'll be OK? We'll be away for quite a while and there might be Orcs…'

'Oh, stop worrying, Hank!' said Sheila, grabbing his arm firmly. She hugged him close, wanting to savour every precious moment they had until real life in the Realm butted back in. They had the next few hours to enjoy each other's company as they searched the town. She wasn't going to let him spoil it by worrying. 'Dungeonmaster said it would be OK.'

'Yes, but…'

'Don't you believe Dungeonmaster?' she asked in mock seriousness.

'Yes, but…'

'Hank,' said the Thief. 'Trust me, they'll be fine!'

The End.

And now that's it finished, you just HAVE to tell me what you think!

* * *

Next: Interlude: A quiet rest turns into a nightmare for Presto when the Hat takes one of his rhymes too literally. 

Also showing: Darkest Hour: (Standalone) Hank's stay in the Grotto of Darkness has had a strange effect on him, and when conflict arises in the group, he makes one bad decision that has far-reaching consequences.

Author's Notes.

On (mis) quotes.

"Only Heroes Make it Home" is taken from the front of the D&D DVD covers. Except it's "Only heroes will make it home" there.

"Fuzzy end of the lollipop" is from the film "Some Like it Hot".

"There's a place? A place in Hell, reserved for me, and my friends" is the title of a Smiths song.

"Pa-pa-pack pa-pa-power" is a misquote of Scrappy-Doo.

On Names.

Eric's middle names are taken from two separate stories: Victoria Bishop's "Lambs among Wolves" and Amy Rummi's epic "Legacy". I couldn't decide which to use, so I used both.

On Thanks.

I know I'm going on about it, but thank you all for helping me along with this one. Because if the complex structure, all the reviews/feedback I've had have been very helpful in keeping me on track.

Special thanks goes to Tiamat11: for your sterling support; and to Fayzalmoonbeam: for your suggestions and for helping me fit everything together.

On The End.

This is the last chapter here on (which you already know, since you're reading it) and it is the end. However, the story has a coda called "Aftermath", which is across in the Dungeons and Dragons section of the Adult Fan Fiction site.


End file.
